


Age of Darkness

by CallistaGseran



Series: To Save a Galaxy... [2]
Category: Star Wars Legends - All Media Types
Genre: Family Feels, Family Issues, Found Family, Jedi, Jedi Training (Star Wars), Mandalorian Culture, Mystery, Suspense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-12
Updated: 2019-12-14
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:53:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 42
Words: 152,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21769423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CallistaGseran/pseuds/CallistaGseran
Summary: Mandalorian civil war rages, drawing those Mandalorian Jedi perilously close to the Dark Side. The Empire once again gathers her strength. But when Jedi Knights sent on fact-finding and humanitarian missions begin disappearing, the Masters of the Order are at a loss. What new evil has been unleashed upon the galaxy?  Co-authored by: Steffan Karrde, Myk-Ron Dinn, and Xan Qenadius.
Relationships: Arie Dinn/Myk-ron Dinn, Callista Gseran/Xan Qenadius, Marin Durza/Jarod
Series: To Save a Galaxy... [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1569049





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Star Wars and associated material contained within works produced or published by LucasFilm Ltd., or its subsidiaries remains the sole property, copyright, and trademark of said entities. No profit is being made from this work. All characters contained within this work are original (with the exception of appearances by some canon characters), and remain the intellectual property of their originating writers.
> 
> This story is set in the same universe and time period as the other stories in the Reflections Arc. This story occurs three years after the events of _**Redemption**_.
> 
> The Cataani people and all related information is the brainchild of Steffan Karrde. All characters used are used with the permission of their originating writer.
> 
> Mando'a language © Karen Traviss and LFL.
> 
> Star Wars © LFL.

_Politics...._

If the Force was the tying binds of the galaxy, then politics was its actual lifeblood. It was unavoidable. The average sentient in the streets of any planet may not be able to understand the nuances of how the galaxy worked at any given time, but they sure knew the realities of life that the galactic power struggle caused their planet and how it filtered down to them.

That too was unavoidable.

It may have only been three years since the end of the last Jedi/Sith war. A war that saw the virtual destruction of the Sith order (though some did escape it was thought) and the destruction of two-thirds of the Jedi; but the ramifications from that conflict reverberated to this day. The vacuum of power the fall of the Sith had created had opened the door for the galaxy's big movers to solidify their own positions. As a result, the three years since the war ended had been anything _but_ peaceful.

First, it was the Hutt Cartel shoring up old Sith-held contracts for military vehicles, weapons and other interests before the New Republic or any other group could so much as bat an eye. In the years following the war, Hutt territory tripled in size and the Outer Rim, in particular, became even more dangerous. But the strange thing was; no Hutt gangster could claim any real significant shift in their own power base. It was as if some force on Nal Hutta held their puppet strings as tightly as they held their underlings' strings. New Republic and Jedi intelligence forces attempted several times to find out what was going on within Hutt space. None returned.

Next in line for a dramatic shift in power was the seemingly overlooked at times Mandalorian Empire. Since Xan Qenadius and his wife Callista Gseran managed to convince the _Mand'alor_ to help out the Jedi bogged down at the battle of Msst, things in the Mandalorian Empire had deteriorated. Old inter-clan arguments sprung forth once more. Clan leaders arguing with Mand'alor on what the Mandalorians should've been doing or not doing. As a result, for the first time in 12,000 years clan wars began anew. While these conflicts thankfully were brief, the fallout from them could not have been worse for the Protectorate and the Mandalorian Empire.

Disaffected clan leaders and youth cut ties from the Protectorate, massed outside of Mandalorian space and began a guerrilla war that still rages within Mandalorian space. The dissidents formed a new incarnation of the most feared and loathed group in the history of the Mandalorian culture....the Death Watch - _Kyr'tsad_. The Death Watch, in fact, had been so active in their campaigns that even the Jedi praxeum on Cataan had been affected. A former Cataani Marine and adopted Mandalorian Lieutenant by the name of Jarius Durza was killed by the Death Watch, leaving behind an 11-year old daughter and igniting a counter-offensive that brought the Mandalorians within Jedi service close to falling to the Dark Side.

The last and most puzzling factor in galactic affairs since the end of the war had been from a group that since the Vong wars had been content to remain out of sight.

_The Empire..._

Since the surprise discovery of Imperial Commandos on Rhen Var during the battle there, The Empire had been massing one of the largest fleets in its history since the fall of Palpatine. Its motives still remain largely unclear as to why. It was this massing of a fleet and the events on Rhen Var that led Jedi Intelligence to travel to Imperial Space to discover why such moves were made.

Unfortunately, the results led to nothing but more questions. The Intelligence crew did not find answers to those original questions; they found out something else that was more shocking. The Moff's Council, for years a council of feuding warlords was assassinated en masse by Grand Admiral Nichova. A military genius it was said was on the level of Thrawn and a Grand Moff of a lineage that once helped to bring fear to the galaxy, a granddaughter of the feared Iceheart, Ysanne Isard, Sylvia Isard.

Isard was quickly installed as Supreme Moff and Overseer of the Empire. Under her control, the Empire had gone from decades of infighting and lack of direction to such precision and military efficiency as it once had during Issard's grandmother's day. They began systematic campaigns themselves to expand the Empire's borders and were ruthless in their quest. So much so that the Chiss Ascendancy folded under such weight and was overrun. In two short years after the assassination of the Moff Council and Issard's installment, the Empire became the single most dominant force in the galaxy, thanks to the brilliance of Issard and the ineptness of NR military and political leadership to deal with this new development. So much so that the New Republic lost on average of fifteen star systems a month to the Empire.

Meanwhile, while the New Republic did it's best to handle all of these circumstances, yet more troubling things were occurring. The Jedi described an event to the New Republic's Chief of State that frightened them. It appeared that in places that the Jedi send out Knights in service or for information, where these Jedi were not returning from, wounds began appearing. Wounds in the Force. Not seen since the times of the Jedi Exile and the battle of Malachor V. These wounds started appearing in abundance. At first, such events were thought to be localized affairs but in the three years since the war ended, these wounds had appeared in areas that were not connected to each other and in greater quantities.

_Politics..._

_The Force..._

_Ever-shifting realities in an ever-shifting universe._

But to the Jedi, the wounds appearing signal a beginning. A beginning into an age of darkness never before seen, with too many questions left unanswered. This is the story of those that attempted to solve this mystery and end the chaos once and for all.


	2. Chapter 2

“Blast it, Brink! Where are you?” Myk-Ron Dinn muttered under his breath. The Rogue stood at a junction in the corridor, with his back to the wall. Cautiously, he risked a glance around the corner. He quickly pulled back as fifteen blaster bolts slammed into the opposite wall. There were twenty of them, and they had an E-Web repeating blaster set up behind a small barricade. Effectively, they had the only passage back to his ship closed off. He could just see them now, running their filthy paws over the _Firebird_ …

Just then, Brink came running up from the opposite direction. Myk grinned at the old smuggler and tossed a flash-bang around the corner. “What took you so long?” He shouted over the sound of the explosion.

“I had a little company,” Brink gasped as he slid to a cover position next to Myk-Ron. “Had to back-track a bit. Who tripped the damned alarms?”

“I don’t think anyone did,” Myk shook his head and blindly fired around the corner to keep the mercenaries pinned down. “I think they knew we were coming.”

Brink swore. “How?”

“Well, now that you’re here, you can set your blaster to stun, and we’ll keep one alive long enough to ask him,” Myk-Ron said, holstering his own DL-40, and drawing his lightsaber.

“What about Nik and Vince?” Brink asked. “If the Imps know we’re here, they’ll have a similar welcome party back at their ship.”

“Yeah,” Myk nodded as he began to draw on the Force. “And, do you think we’ll hear the end of it if they get outta this mess before we do?”

“Point taken,” Brink clicked the safety on his blaster to stun.

Smiling, Myk-Ron leaped into the corridor. A torrent of red light lanced out at the Rogue, and he waded into it. His silver blade traced large arcs through the air, intercepting bolts and sending more than a few back to their owners. Slowly, Myk-Ron advanced on the mercenaries, his hands and his blade moving in time with the rhythm of the Force.

The E-Web continued to pump kilojoules of energy out at a pace that even Myk was starting to have difficulty keeping up with. But the Rogue wasn’t worried. Sailing over his shoulder, he caught a glint of steel. With a little nudge in the Force, he directed Brink’s throw directly into the nest. Mercenaries dove for cover, but too late. The fragmentation grenade reduced the E-Web and the mercenaries around it to a smoking ruin. And, Myk had his opening. In a flash of silver light, he appeared at the end of the corridor, mercenaries falling to their deaths behind him as their bodies fell apart.

“Ewww!” Brink complained as he made his way to the hangar door. “Force’ sake, Myk, do ya hafta make such a mess all the time?”

The Rogue shrugged as he placed a hand to the door, stretching his senses into the room on the other side. “Twenty more inside,” He said. “And, one’s on top of my ship.”

“Say no more, mi’lad,” Brink sighed. “So much for leaving one alive.” The old smuggler drew his other blaster and set both to kill.

Myk-Ron smiled darkly. “On three?”

“One,” Brink began the count.

“Two,” Myk pressed his hand to the sensor plate near the doors, and they whisked open. Before him and Brink were twenty mercenaries armed to the teeth and ready for them. And, I thought fact-finding missions were boring, Myk mused.

“THREE!” they both cried as the plunged into the fray.

* * *

“ _That went well_ ,” Nik’s voice, only slightly distorted lost none of its sarcasm over the comm unit aboard the _Firebird_.

Hanging in a sector of space devoid of anything, the _Firebird_ and the _Dragon_ floated. Vince and Nik had flown the _Dragon_ in for this particular run as Nik’s _Phantom_ was still in the shop undergoing a new install of the cloaking shield.

“ _Yes,”_ Vince said. _“Sarcasm. How quaint.”_

“You guys didn’t happen to keep one alive, did you?” Myk asked.

“ _Yeah, we’re fixing him tea right now,”_ Nik quipped.

“Okay, okay,” Myk sighed. “I don’t suppose the two of you have any ideas on how they knew we were going to be here?”

“ _None,”_ Vincent said. _“Though, with Sylvia Iceheart running things in the Empire, I would suggest we try to rectify the situation post-haste.”_

“Aye,” Brink nodded from the copilot’s chair aboard the _Firebird_. “Well, sittin’ here isn’t going to do us any good. Let’s head back to Coruscant. We’ll commandeer a table at the ‘Crash,’ and try to wrap our heads around how the Empire seems to know what we’re gonna do before we do it.”

“ _Roger that,”_ Nik agreed. _“Who’s buyin’ this time around?”_

“You,” Myk said as he pointed the _Firebird_ onto a heading for home. “No matter how many times you ask that question, it’s still your turn.” He could hear Vince’s laughter over the open comm, and he grinned as he pulled back the levers and the _Firebird_ lurched into hyperspace.

“Honey!” Myk called as the entry door slid shut behind him. “I’m home!”

“I kinda figured that out when you commed me from the hangar, nerf herder,” Arie replied from the living room. She sat on the sofa with a glass of blue milk and a sandwich. She had their favorite show paused on the holoprojector.

“I know,” Myk shrugged as he pulled off his boots in the entryway. “I just like sayin’ it.” He crossed to the back of the couch, leaned over and kissed his wife on the forehead as she leaned back to look up at him. “Where’s my little princess?”

“Daddy!”

Myk whirled on his feet as Evelina came running from her room and he scooped her up into his arms. “Hey, Kiddo,” He grinned. “I missed you. What did you and Mommy do today?”

“I missed you too,” The three-year-old wrapped her arms around the Rogue’s neck as he carried her into the living room and plopped down on the couch with her in his lap. “Mommy and I went to the zoo! We saw the baby nexu, and even a diagona! Daddy, can I have a baby nexu? I asked Mommy, but she said to ask you.”

Myk-Ron laughed. “I’ll bet she did,” He cast a wry grin in Arie’s direction. “Well, a baby nexu is a big responsibility. You’d have to feed it, and clean up after it, and probably groom it a lot. And, they don’t stay babies forever, Nexu get very big, and I don’t know if we have enough room here.”

“I know, Daddy,” Evelina said, determined. “But, I’d be a good mommy. I’d feed her, and take care of her, and I heard you talking to Mommy about moving to Corellia and getting a house. Would we have enough room then?”

“How did you…” Myk again looked to his wife.

 _She grows stronger in the Force every day_ , Arie sent. _I think she’s learning to listen in on our little mental conversations._

“Yeah,” Evelina nodded enthusiastically. “I’ve been studying really hard.”

“Very impressive,” Myk said. “But, you shouldn’t eavesdrop on other people’s conversations, princess. It’s not nice.”

“I’m sorry, Daddy,” She said. “I won’t do it again.”

“It’s okay,” Myk lifted her chin. “We're still just talking about moving to Corellia right now, but I know you'd be okay with it now. I tell you what. You keep up with your studies and keep your room clean, and I’ll think about getting you a baby nexu. Deal?”

“Deal!” Evelina took her father’s hand and shook it.

Myk and Arie laughed.

“Why don’t you go get your coloring book?” Myk said. “Mommy and I want to watch our show.”

“Okay, Daddy,” Evelina hopped down from Myk’s lap and took off for her room, skipping.

Myk watched her go, and smiled before turning to Arie.

“So, how’d the mission go?” Arie asked.

“Complete failure,” Myk sighed. “Somehow Iceheart Jr. knew we were coming. We got in okay, but it was a firefight the whole way out. We didn’t even get to the records room.”

 _Shassa_ , Arie swore silently. “Myk, this is getting out of control,” She said. “They took out the Chiss Ascendancy, for Force Sake. What is going on in the galaxy?”

“I don’t know, Princess,” Myk shook his head. “But we need to figure it out, and soon.”

“Didn’t we retire from this sort of thing like three years ago?” Arie smirked.

“I seem to recall,” The Rogue scratched his head before shrugging. “Well, it’ll keep for a little while at least. Are we all set for the trip to Cataan tomorrow?”

“All our bags are packed, and Steffan’s expecting us,” Arie nodded. “Said he and Jade had the guest house all prepped. I think he’s going to ask you to come to teach at his praxeum again.”

“He knows I can’t do that,” Myk said. “At least not full-time. I like Cataan, and Steffan’s a great friend, but I couldn’t live there. It’s too…”

“Perfect?”

“I was going to say remote, but yeah, that too,” Myk nodded.

“Well, he’s still going to try,” Arie leaned her head on Myk’s shoulder. “And, you can’t really blame him for that. He did want me to let you know he’d be bringing the grill out for dinners. It’s summer there, now.”

“Fantastic!” Myk beamed. “You made sure to pack a few bottles of Whyvern’s Reserve, yeah? I know it’s hard for them to get the stuff out there.”

“Yes, dear,” Arie said. “You know, even with all that’s going on, it’ll be good to see everyone again. Xan and Calli even managed to get the time off.”

“Yeah,” Myk agreed. “Feels like it’s been ages. I can’t believe Karrde’s boy is going to be eighteen. I hope he likes what we got him.”

“Rogue,” Arie laughed. “We bought an eighteen-year-old boy a speeder-bike. _He’ll_ be thrilled. But, I think Steffan’s going to kill you.”

Myk-Ron just shrugged, and cast her a trademark grin. “Nah,” He said. “He’d mentioned he wanted to spar during our visit. He always fights better when he’s just a bit ticked.”

“Whatever you say, Love,” Arie kissed him on the cheek and hit "resume" the holoprojector. Evelina brought her coloring book out to the living room and set up her station at the low table in front of the sofa.

More content than he’d been in a life-age, Myk-Ron settled in for a night at home with his family. Things in the galaxy were heating up. He figured he could enjoy one slow night before he and his family were thrust into the thick of things again.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _Alor’aan_ \- General  
>  _Ni ceta_ \- I'm sorry  
>  _Osik_ \- shit, crap  
>  _Kyr'tsad_ \- Death Watch  
>  _Tsad Droten_ \- The Republic  
>  _cyar'ika_ – sweetheart  
>  _Verd’goten_ – Coming of age

**Jedi temple - Coruscant - Xan and Callista's quarters**

It felt like ages since Callista had been able to sleep in. She hadn't realized how much she'd missed it - or needed it. They both did. That thought brought a somewhat sad smile to her face as she turned and snuggled into Xan's warm embrace. She knew that the relative peace wouldn't last. Events over the last few years had told her that. And she loathed politics. But it had wormed its way into the Order more and more over the last two or three years. But what worried her the most were the reports of Knights... simply vanishing while on missions. She sighed and turned onto her back, laying her head on Xan's chest as she looked up at the ceiling.

"Up already _me'ven_?" a deep accented voice said bringing her out of her contemplative mood. "It's 0515, y'know. It's the third time this week you've woken and today you could sleep in." The voice, belonging to her husband Xan continued. He ran his hands through Callista's thick mane of dark hair and sighed. "You should let me worry about this."

Callista chuckled and turned over, snuggling against him. " _Ni ceta_.... I can't help it. Waking up this early is so ingrained I don't even need an alarm anymore..." She groaned and buried her face in the cool fabric of her pillowcase for a moment. "I know. It just worries me. We lost so many at Rhen Var, and then Msst. And now.... the Knights just... _vanish_." She swore softly and scrubbed her face with her hands for a moment. "I guess I'm trying to occupy myself with something besides medical reports for once..." She grinned lopsidedly at him.

Xan frowned. It was bad enough he was occupied with every kind of report he could get his hands on concerning the missing Knights, _His_ missing Knights. Since Karrde had retreated to Cataan and Ainar disappeared, and Myk-Ron and Arie now "retired" only so Myk-Ron could fulfill some Han Solo-like stupidity (as far as Xan was concerned). He and Callista were the most senior of Masters available on Coruscant. That gave him even more access to information and contacts then he had previously. If it weren't for the fact that they were still relatively young, it would've given them more then a few gray hairs. "You mean the lack of bodies, right?" He ran his free hand down Callista bare back and sighed again. "Just more _osik_ to deal with, hell at this point I'm surprised that Steffan hasn't just handed over control of the Order to us yet. We've been _kriffing_ dealing with everything else."

She sighed contentedly at his touch and snuggled close. " _Elek_ , the lack of bodies worries me - and frankly creeps me out." She sighed and nodded. "I'd wondered that too. He's hardly on Coruscant these days - what with the praxeum occupying his time. I just feel like we're flying a bit blind here without more input from the other Masters..... what few remain."

Xan laughed and it was bitter sounding. "You know what I think of all of this. Steffan retreated cause he felt as if he almost brought disaster onto the Order, Myk-ron is off playing Han Solo and badly, never mind coercing Brink back into that _kriffing_ holofantasy of Myk's. But filling Arie with the notion that now that she's a mother, her job is done. _Pah!_ " he spat and pulled out of the embrace, not due to anger at his wife but out of frustration. "It was bad enough that Steffan allowed Ainar to _shab_ off in depression, but everyone else got the bright idea to do the same. _Hut'uunla_ actions within the Jedi, and they _shabla_ wonder why we Mandos get bent out of shape at them?"

Callista frowned at him as he pulled away. She moved closer, wrapping her arms around his waist, and just held him close. " _Cyar'ika._ You're only one man. You can't fix everything, y'know." She rested her chin on his shoulder before she started massaging the muscles gently. "Deal with what you know you can. I don't know Ainar well enough to comment. As to Steffan, I'd really like his input. But he is doing an important service to the Order: training more Jedi. Myk...well, that's Myk for you. He needs a break just like we do. Though he could have picked something better." She shrugged slightly. "While I don't agree with it, or with Arie's retirement at this time, it was prudent considering her condition. The constant stress she was under as head of Galactic Defense isn't helpful when you're trying to raise an _ikaad_..."

"A real warrior can be both a warrior and a father or mother. She still could've been a _shabla_ consultant or diplomat for Force's sake! I mean, you try dealing with idiots that have their collective heads up their _Tsad Droten shebs_ , The _Kyr'tsad_ acting out their sick fantasies on _Mando'ade_ and the tin cans suddenly acting competent. I mean, the _shabla_ Chiss Ascendancy fell, _Cal'ika_....and no one says boo. But it's left to me to deal with the Chief of State, send agents into the Remnant and have them disappear, act like a flipping politician more days then a damn Jedi and watch as everything I do disintegrates around me. But yeah, let's just leave everything to the young ones. They were there when things looked bleak before, they don't need our help in pulling out of similar situations now. Let's just worry about us for a while." He growled, "If Del were here he'd shoot the lot of them, and I'm close to doing that myself."

She sighed. He was right. "What would you suggest...?" she asked quietly, her voice close to his ear as she rested her chin on his shoulder. "It's obvious they are still needed."

Xan broke her embrace again for a minute as he leaned over to the nightstand on his side of the bed and grabbed something. As he leaned back into her again, he this time initiated the embrace. "Priority message I received last night as I was heading back to quarters. Sharon flagged me down with this.." he handed her a datapad. "Seems Steffan wants a little family get-together on Cataan in the next few days. Myk and Arie want to pick us up."

Callista raised an eyebrow as she glanced down, reading it with her head propped on his shoulder. "It's been quite a while since we went to the praxeum. A day or two away from here might do us _both_ some good..." She smiled slightly. Ryneas was turning eighteen. The boy had grown up so fast. She remembered the first time she'd met him. He couldn't have been more than eleven or twelve. "I'm up for it. Though, I think we'd be remiss if we didn't at least ...talk to Myk and Arie..." She looked meaningfully at Xan. " _Shab_.....Evelina must be at least three now...."

Xan nodded. "Yeah, according to Brink she also has the Dinn style self-assurance already. Though in a much more sweet manner then Myk. He said she's even catching on to Myk and Arie's telepathy talks." He chuckled briefly. "While I would like to see the squirt again, I plan on bouncing Arie off of every wall in the training rooms once we get to Cataan. She may have resigned her rank when she became NR military, but now that she's not, I intend on reactivating both of them whether they like it or not. And that means a little _shebs_ kicking is in order."

She grinned at him. "I like the idea, though I'm not sure Steffan would approve of us using the training rooms for that. What about the training circle at Steffan's home... or the hold of the _Firebird_? Something tells me we should keep this private, as in just family knowing."

Xan glared at her. "This time I don't care if Steffan likes it or not. _Shab, Cal'ika_....you know the visions I've been having..."

Callista flinched involuntarily but didn't look away. She only nodded. She'd caught snatches of them - as much as he'd tried to shield her from them. She frowned again. "I agree that something needs to be done. Just not sure if it being that... _public_ will help or hinder the purpose you are trying to achieve."

"Public gets everyone to see how serious this is _cyar'ika_ ," he said firmly but did so as he soothed her by running his hands over her body again. "Wounds in the Force, an Empire set on dominating and subjugating again, a terrorist force that will NOT be content with just the _Mando'ade_ Empire and the Hutts eating star systems for lunch." He sighed, "If anything I'm not being brutal enough to drive this home."

Callista sighed. She could tell there was no point in arguing. When he'd made up his mind that was it. "Aye. I think we all need a wake-up call."

Xan nodded and then sighed and took a glance at the chrono and growled lightly. "Well, I got to get up. One more fracking meeting with the NR DoD and last-minute briefings and then I can get ready to go."

She swore. She hated that he kept getting pulled into politics. "Will you at least _eat_ before you go, _cyar'ika_?"

He pulled himself out of bed and began throwing on robes, which a few years ago would've been odd but nowadays was becoming more common. "I'd love to but if I don't get going quickly, Sharon will have my head as a flimsyweight. I'll get some caf in my office and call down to the kitchens for something light after the DoD meeting."

" _Xan'ika..._ you need to eat....." She fixed him with a glance as she slid out of bed, pulling on a light sleeping robe as she came over to him. Her fingers twitched his tunic straight before she brushed a few errant pieces of fluff from his shoulder.

Xan chuckled, he knew from experience this was her area of control and he'd have a hell of a time satisfying her if ever. " _Cyar'ika_....the DoD doesn't care if I've eaten or not. They care if I'm punctual. Maxell still hasn't removed the pole from his _shebs_..."

Callista rolled her eyes. She'd never liked Maxell. "At least take a couple of nausage rolls with you... you can eat them before you get there..."

Xan laughed again. " _Udesii, Cal'ika_. You win...I'll take them. Happy now?" He said with a lopsided grin.

"I am..." she replied and stood on her toes to kiss him gently before she turned to the kitchen, pulling the container from the chiller. She wrapped two of the nausage rolls in parchment and tucked them into his hand.

Xan shook his head a bit and chuckled before he heard his comm beep and then an annoyed voice spoke to him, the only padawan in the order allowed to get away with such behavior _. "Damn it Xan, are you on your way or what? Maxell dropped in too early. Get your Mando shebs in gear!"_

Callista grinned at him, barely stifling a giggle as she kissed him quickly and gave him one more once-over as she steered him to the door.

Xan sighed. "On my way Sharon. Keep him occupied. I know: give him a kid's coloring pad and that should keep him busy for several weeks on the first page alone."

That caused Callista to burst out laughing. She just shook her head at him. "Aye... distract him for about five minutes, Sharon... Xan'll be right along..."

Xan grinned at his wife and leaned in to kiss her quick. "I'll comm you when I'm free and on my way home."

"You _better_." she said as she returned it and gently pushed him into the hall, the door closing quietly behind him. It cut off the sound of Sharon still chattering away.

* * *

**Xan's Office**

As Maxell made his way out, Xan was tempted to throw his flimsyweight sculpture of Kad Harangir at the retreating form of the General but thought better of it. He liked the sculpture too much. "Sharon, DoD medicine stat, _gedet'ye_...." he groaned as he placed his head in his hands.

Sharon glared at the retreating gray-clad form for a long moment before she nodded and slipped into the small kitchenette area that was arranged along the back wall of Xan's office. Being the head of Jedi Intelligence sure had its perks. She hummed for a few moments as she pulled a dark glass bottle from the chiller and poured a few measures of the Narcoleth into a tumbler, adding some ice. She'd found some more of the nausage rolls that Master Callista had made and she warmed those up, piling them on a plate before she brought both to Xan and plopped down in the chair in front of his desk, sipping on a _netra'gal_ herself.

Xan smiled a bit as he saw the nausage rolls on his desk and saw her sipping on a _netra'gal_. "I see both Callista and myself are rubbing off on you." He said before biting into a roll. He chewed a bit and swallowed before asking, "So am I dreaming or did that conversation go absolutely nowhere?"

Sharon grinned at him for a moment before she merely groaned and pinched her nose, taking a few deep breaths. "The... _Alor'aan_.... excels at the art of leading the conversation in circles... He very neatly avoided answering your questions. However, what interested me was not what he actually said, but what he _didn't_. I think we might learn more from looking at what he... _conveniently left out_..."

Xan raised an eyebrow at Sharon. It amazed him at times how natural she was in picking up things in conversations. It was what led them to discover Isard's assassination of the Moff's council two years ago. "Go on, you got my attention."

She grinned at him again. "He kept going on and on about how much the war effort is costing the Republic, and how much the Republic needs us, and our skills..... yet what help do _we_ get from them? They didn't provide the funds to rebuild when the Temple got attacked a few years ago. And they seem to forget we are few now. Especially with the disappearances..." She frowned. "It reminds me almost of how the Old republic utilized... no... _used_ the Jedi during the Clone Wars...."

Xan nodded and frowned. For all of Luke Skywalker's genius in changing how the Jedi Order dealt with things like families and relationships; he did tie them back into service with the New Republic once again. A fact that non-Republic members such as himself chafed at at times. "You mean as generals and commanders of the military. Relying on Jedi-led efforts of intelligence and diplomacy..."

"Precisely... And with so few of us left, it almost guarantees the fact that we'll be gone sooner rather than later. Regardless of the various academies." She groaned and slouched down in her chair. "There are times I wish I didn't have the ability to read this stuff from people. It's... _shabla_ depressing..."

Xan sat and thought a moment. "What you are suggesting is that the chief of state, the Senate and the DoD are playing the Jedi in hopes of actually discrediting us or worse...."

She nodded, the expression on her face looking like she'd tasted something awful. "It's almost like what Daala tried to do while she was Chief of State during Skywalker's time... He had to go into exile to evade prison for his 'crimes'..."

He shuddered and sipped his narcoleth. "Should've asked for a double..." He looked at her. "So in other words, we're _fierfeked_. We can't withdraw cause we need the funding the NR supplies us with and we can't go against the Senate cause we'll get seen as Palpatine 2.0."

"Pretty much...." Just the thought caused a cold lump to settle in her stomach. She took a few slow breaths as she tried to calm herself.

"As if things weren't already bad enough." he groaned and shook his head. "Well then on that _bright note_. What of the latest team we've sent into Imperial space? Have they reported in at all?"

Sharon frowned for a moment, and pulled out her secure datapad, scrolling through the message logs. "Last message we got was...... six hours ago. They'd just inserted into Bastion... Nothing else yet."

"Any reports on movement or anything else of note in their summary?" Xan asked, knowing it was likely going to be the same answer he always got lately.

Sharon made a noise of disgust, muttering a curse in _Mando'a_. "Nothing.... _wait_....." She scrolled back up, and read again. "There was a mention of increased military traffic in the area, but that was it. No other details. They probably didn't have time."

Xan stood up and paced behind his desk, sipping his narcoleth. "And the diplomatic envoy to Nal Hutta, any success in cutting the taxation level for travelers through Hutt Space?"

Her frown deepened as she brought up the message. "Very little. The Hutts still think that the exorbitant rates are warranted.. the costs of the war, they say." He tone made it clear she didn't agree with that.

 _'Might as well go for the trifecta,'_ he thought. "Latest reports out of the Mandalorian Empire?"

Sharon sucked in a breath, her gaze flicking up to his for a moment. She'd at least caught the gist of the thought. Chewing her lip, she scrolled through the reports again. "Two more attacks by _Kyr'tsad_... Bandomeer.... and an attempt on MandalMotors....."

"What was the cost of the damages. Lives first then credits." Xan sighed as he downed the rest of the strong Mandalorian whiskey.

"Bandomeer: three-hundred dead. From the reports, most of them were farm workers caught in the open when the _Kyr'tsad_ did a firebombing run on the fields..." She swore softly. "Mandalore: fifty. Looks like here they were trying to make a statement while keeping MandalMotors intact. Bandomeer looks like it was aimed at crippling the Empire's food supply...and their military power."

"I want an aid team with AgriCorps members sent to _Manda'yaim_ within the day. Tell _Mand'alor_ that this is only a down payment from us. He'll understand." Xan said, voice beginning to crack a little.

"I'll get right on that..." Sharon said, her tone a little distracted as she began typing commands into her pad. "Anything I can get you, Xan?" she asked a note of concern in her voice.

"Not at the moment Sharon. Unless you can find me the cause for all of this," he said before cracking a sad smile at her. "One last thing, morale report of the Order."

"Not good..." she said quietly. "There's hardly been anyone here since Msst. Most of the students have been moved to the academies on Cataan or Chandrilla, with a good number of the surviving Knights and Masters taking on teaching positions. We still do have a few Watchmen in service, but not many after Msst...."

"Any calls in no confidence in my interim work, since Steffan's departure from Coruscant?"

"Doesn't look like it. It's been oddly quiet on that front, and I'm not sure why....."

"We're getting resigned is why. I think everyone senses our doom approaching, and with these wounds in the Force appearing en masse. I think the Order is scared." Xan said in a deathly quiet voice. "It's time for that to change."

"But.... _how_?" Sharon asked, her town laced with bewilderment.

"Remember that priority message you flagged me down with yesterday?" he said, making his way to the conservator. He motioned to Sharon if she wanted another can.

"Yeah...... what about it.....?" She asked, nodding at the silent question.

"Seems Ryneas, one of Steffan's sons is turning eighteen, the age of manhood I guess for you _aruetiise_ types." He smirked at Sharon, who returned the smirk. "So, therefore, he wants a family gathering on Cataan this week. And it looks like Callista and I are getting a ride there, from our favorite Correlian and Coshackian."

Sharon grinned but then groaned. "Master Myk-Ron I like. Arie though...." She shrugged. "There's just something about her...."

Xan smirked as he handed her the can of _netra'gal_. "Out with it. What is it you don't like?"

Sharon groaned and shooed him back to his desk as she popped the seal on the can. "I dunno. She seems... rather closed off or something.."

"That's what happens when you spend most of your adult life in the New Republic military," Xan said, knowing this information may change Sharon's perceptions. "She is closed off, but there are some good reasons for that. However, the bad reason is why Callista and I are going."

She frowned for a moment before it sank in. "You're upset at the state of the Order... and how certain Masters and Knights have..... drifted....?" she hedged after a moment.

"I'm pissed at how my family forgot they are warriors, that my family has responsibilities," Xan said, his voice darkening. To emphasize the next point he leaned over the desk a little. "And I intend on reminding her of this the hard way."

"And what of Master Myk-Ron...?" Sharon asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He's done playing as a Han Solo wannabe for a while. Callista will work on him." He chuckled. "What no one but you and Callista knows is: I'm going to pull rank on the bastards. Arie resigned from her Jedi rank when she was conflicted with her military service. That no longer applies. Myk-Ron never did resign his rank and Steffan left for Cataan to train the next generation of Jedi, leaving us here to run the Order. They are going to both regret that decision and respect it. I'm going to make sure of that."

"And.... how exactly do you propose to accomplish this....?" Sharon asked, curiosity flooding her voice.

"I plan on bouncing Arie off of every wall in Cataan's training hall till she sees sense, while Callista does likewise with Myk. But my little _chat_ with Arie will be broadcast live into every Jedi facility in the galaxy via the holonet."

Sharon frowned. "Are you sure that's wise? We wouldn't want to give away the location of the Chandrilla academy... Cataan's academy is already known..."

Xan smiled. "Privileges of being 'in charge', Sharon. I know the comm codes to Chandrilla and I have an encrypt code that no one but Steffan knows and virtually impossible to slice or tag."

She didn't ask how he had that. "I know that you mean to use it as a wake-up call for the Order, but wouldn't that cause a lot of...... familial tension for you and Master Callista with Master Myk-Ron and Arie?"

"For a while, but my goal is not to place them under me. It's to get them to wake up and get back to what they should be. I'm not doing this for leadership, I'm doing this to regain leadership. I'll take whatever comes out of that if I get this across."

"Fair enough..." Sharon answered with a smile. "Just trying to consider it from all vectors."

Xan grinned. "Yeah, but this isn't an attack. It's a dejarik game. But I've got the Mantivellian Satrap in my hand and I'm looking to end this game."

Sharon just grinned and shook her head. "Sometimes you confuse even _me_..." she admitted, but she was beginning to understand how strongly he felt about this. "Is there anything else you need?"

"Yeah. Hope that I'm not too late," he said quietly. He shook his head. "No, I think I've covered everything. So, congrats, padawan, Intelligence is in your hands till I return. Don't destroy the galaxy if you can help it, ok?"

She looked up at him in surprise. "I'm not going with you....?"

"I need you here right now, Sharon. I can't funnel everything from Cataan and keep an eye on the galactic situation. I need someone that knows what the _kriff_ they are doing with these reports. Plus the NR doesn't have codes for Cataan or the _Firebird_. But you do, thus you can pull feeds for me if someone desperately needs me."

Sharon sighed. "Alright. Just.... be careful. I know the Cataani Navy ousted the _Kyr'tsad_ from Galan, but I've been getting reports of some being spotted near the borders of Cataani space..."

Xan grinned. "Well then, looks like this trip won't be all work and no play. Contact Ethan for me. Tell him to meet me on Cataan. Looks like _Mar'ika_ gets to go hunting after all."

That got a smile from Sharon. She'd met Ethan and Marin once, when they'd worked together on a mission. She liked the younger girl very much. "She'll enjoy that, I think...."

Xan smiled but it was a cold one. "We all will Sharon. We all will..." He stopped and looked at Sharon again closely. "When I get back, I'm recommending you for the Trials."

Sharon sputtered in surprise, spitting her mouthful of _netra'gal_ on the desk - but she could tell he wasn't kidding. She just stared at him a moment.

"Not kicking you out of working with me. But you're a quick learner, you've got all the skills you need and continue to learn new things fast. You're ready. Plus, we've been more like partners then Master and Student the last year. It's time that it was just made official."

She flushed in excitement, a grin spreading across her face before she finally found her voice long enough to say, "Thank you..... M _aster_." She smirked at him, knowing he hated it when she addressed him that way.

Xan growled, "Keep that up and I'll make you swim around Centax 2 just for the heck of it." He smirked back. "Who do we have for remaining Masters here, Sharon?" he asked, "I need to give Coruscant some leadership in our absence."

Sharon flushed, but she was grinning. "Uhm, Master Vallen, Master Azad I think. Master Vallen works in Investigations... Master Azad was the Master Healer until Master Callista got the post..."

Xan nodded. "Time for Master Azad to feel useful again. She'll be in charge of Coruscant till I or Steffan returns. You got Intelligence. Oh, tell Master Vallen, that Coruscant Security wants that report on Hutt activities on planet first thing Monday morning."

"Will do, Xan..." Sharon told him with a grin as she jotted down a few notes on her datapad.

"Oh, make sure anything big gets funneled to me. Even if it's Maxell's _osik_. Leave Azad with as little headaches as possible. Otherwise, she'll poison me, and likely get Callista to help."

Sharon snickered. "I think I can manage that."

Xan headed to the door. "Oh and one last thing. If you finish all the _netra'gale_ in my conservator, you buy the next case. Force guide you well, Sharon." And with that Xan headed out of the Intelligence Bureau and on his way back to the apartment. He commed Callista letting her know that he was on his way.

Sharon stared after him for a moment, still in a state of shock. He obviously felt she was ready for the Trials. Shaking her head, she got to work sending out the dispatch orders for the group to go to Mandalorian space, making sure to append her signature to the message and send a copy of it directly to the _Mand'alor_ using a secure channel.

* * *

Meanwhile, Callista had fallen asleep again, sleeping for a few more hours until the sun streaming through the windows woke her. She'd made lunch, and packed what they might need for their trip.

Xan keyed the door from outside and found his wife scuttling around the apartment grabbing items for the trip. " _Shab_ , we're just going to Cataan, _cyar'ika_ , not to Csilla."

She rolled her eyes and then smiled at him. "It's not _that_ bad... I'm not bringing everything...."

Xan smirked, "Yeah, you left the holo unit alone and the bed." Xan grinned evilly and jumped onto the freshly made bed and while doing so pulled her down into his arms with him. "Ahhh, that's better."

She yelped in surprise, collapsing against his chest. "I just made that..." she protested.

"Well let's unmake it shall we?" he grinned and kissed her passionately.

She started to respond, but whatever she'd been about to say got swallowed in the kiss. He always knew how to get her to relax.

He pulled away eventually as the need for air won out over the kiss but he held her in his arms for a minute or so. "I'll fix the bed up in a few. I just needed that. Long day and yet another bad one generally."

"Bad news, I take it...?" she said softly as she laid her head on his shoulder.

Xan sighed and filled her in on everything that had transpired during the day, including the good stuff such as Sharon's reaction to the Trial recommendation and who was placed in charge of Coruscant till they returned. "So that's it in a nutshell."

"The recent actions of the Senate, and the Chief of State concern me. Sharon's right. We definitely need to bring that up with Steffan." She sobered a bit more at the mention of _Kyr'tsad_ movements. "Isn't _Mar'ika_ approaching the age for _Verd’goten_?"

Xan nodded. "It's time, _elek_. Looks like this hunt is her test."


	4. Chapter 4

_ **Cataan** _

“Isard’s forces are claiming more territory,” one master said from where they stood in the clearing in a valley not far from Mt. Adan’s monastery. “With their push and takeover of the Chiss Ascendency as well as their other pushes outward from their old borders, we’ve lost our access to the crystal caverns not just at Ilum, but at Dantooine as well.”

Steffan sat in the place on the rocks that he had selected when he chose this site. It was his idea, with the Jedi High Council approving, that it was time to call for a great convocation of all of the masters of the Order. Not only of the ones who had survived the Battle of Msst, but also those knights that had shown the council through their actions that there were ready to receive the rank title. He had chosen this valley instead of the main hall of his praxeum because he knew that the number of masters there, still a smaller number than had been at the battle, would be a distraction to his students. Dilan, promoted to the rank of Master himself just within the last year, was one of only a few Masters not in attendance as he was seeing to the continuation of training at the monastery. 

Now, the High Council was seated or standing along a wide ring of stones and rocks that Steffan had built a fair-sized fire around while the other masters circled around them…some sitting, some standing or leaning against the trees close by…as the matters at hand were discussed by all of them. Throughout the entire time he had been setting up and working through teaching the students that arrived at the praxeum, Steffan continued to hold meetings with the High Council. Many times they met in his study here on Cataan or would meet in their chambers at the Jedi Temple. Many times they would discuss matters through the holonet. However, it was time to discuss matters in a way where all voices needed to be heard, not just those of the High Council.

But even as he thought that Steffan winced inwardly. He knew that there were some…perhaps more than that…that did not know of the constant attention he was giving to matters. And he knew several were probably hurt by what looked like his lack of action or thought or direction. He shook his head as he continued to listen on to the different parts of the conversation. 

“We still have sources for crystals on Adega,” Relan Volkum offered quietly and calmly. “Not to mention other resources that we have that are not common knowledge.”

“It could only be a matter of time,” Waln Cartega told him from his place slightly behind Steffan, “before that could be found out, Master Volkum. As it stands now, they now hold the old Sith homeworld of Korriban now as well…and showing signs of expanding their trailward borders to link up with the space they control around there. Our facilities on Yavin IV are now threatened.”

“Do not forget about our facilities on Ossus,” Kai Qon Dei added. “They are threatened now not just from Imperial forces on Korriban. With the expansion that the Hutts have undertaken, their borders now are dangerously close to Ossus.”

“What concerns me the most,” Chris-tien Jinn now added from where she sat at the council ring, “is not the fact that our facilities are threatened or blocked from us, but another issue that stems from the Hutts new sphere of influence.”

“I must agree with Chris-tien on this,” Steffan finally said to everyone there, receiving nods from several masters that had remained silent and listened through most of this. “The fact that the majority of Force Wounds we have been feeling have come from that part of the galaxy is a serious concern for me on many factors.”

“I must agree with Master Karrde,” Streen said from where he sat on a limb overlooking the group. “We have not heard back from any of the Jedi Watchmen that we could afford to place in those areas and none of those that we have sent to investigate have returned or sent word to us. We have not felt their death, but we have lost all sense of them in the Force as well. Xan Qenadius has been taking this very hard, especially since these are people he had hand-selected for the task.”

He looked around the group and then looked straight at Steffan. “I am surprised that he’s not here.”

Steffan stood there and sighed deeply as he lowered his head. “That is my fault, my friend. I had sent the message about this convocation to everyone, but never received a response. It could have been missed in all of the possible messages he has had to deal with and so he and Master Callista probably do not know of this going on. They are on their way here, but for my youngest son’s birthday. I will take responsibility and will talk it out with them when they arrive.”

He turned to look to his fellows there with him. “Streen is completely correct. While the Empire is a threat to us, I feel that our greatest threat is going to be this unknown element in Hutt space. Yes, we have Jedi missing…and there a great many wounds in the Force coming from there. I do not know who is behind it, but we have a resource there that is threatened unlike any of our resources for lightsaber crystals.”

It was Jil-qun’s turn to look toward him in recognition of what he referred to. “The Valley of the Jedi.”

“Precisely,” Steffan said as he turned to him and nodded. There were several nods and whispers as he pulled all his thoughts together. “To my knowledge, and Master Qenadius will have to correct me if I am mistaken, we have not attempted to send anyone to Ruusan to see about the Valley’s condition. While we are seeing to that, there is a threat from the Imperials that must be addressed.” He looked to Jil-qun again as he made this announcement. “Chandrila.”

“The academy?” one of the masters yelled out.

“Chandrila is in the Core Worlds,” another said. “What are the possibilities of the Empire stretching that far?”

“Do you have to seriously ask that question?” Chris-tien asked him in return as she turned to look at him. “If this truly Isard’s descendant and is as capable as Yssane was, which she is proving correct so far, then there is no limit to how far the Empire will try to expand. If how they were able to defeat the Chiss is any indication, there is a good reason to believe that they may push to Coruscant or farther. They have practically broken the treaty now, and we have no information on just what her plans truly are.”

“As it stands right now, we only have three locations for training students,” Steffan told them all. “The Academy on Chandrila, the Temple on Coruscant, and my praxeum here on Cataan…two of those three locations are possibly threatened. Perhaps not immediately, but possible enough that we need to consider some things very carefully.”

“What are you proposing, Steffan?” Nalus asked from where he stood behind Chris-tien’s seat. 

“We need to consider relocating our students,” Steffan told them. “I know we have not had many students at the Jedi Temple because of the events that led to Arie warning us to leave Coruscant, but we do have some there. The majority of our students are on Chandrila and the Empire will have to go past there to go to Coruscant. What I propose is that we begin quietly looking to establish not just one facility, but several, galactic southward of here towards the Outer Rim. My friends…the danger to us, I feel, is just as great if not greater than the danger to the New Republic. We cannot afford to be lax now, nor have the majority of our students in one place. That lesson we learned from the Sith shortly before our last battle should be well heeded now.”

All nodded now at Steffan’s assessment and he sighed and looked to the chrono on his wristcomm. “It is late. I propose that we return here in the morning. There is plenty of room at the praxeum for all here and I’m certain my students would be appreciative of the company. I will see you there in the morning.”

And with that, they began to disperse for the night.

* * *

_ **Catain – Fleet Facilities – Nighthawk Simulators** _

“Once more,” Captain Wesley Dannic ordered, rubbing his eyes as he sat in the cockpit of the Number 1 simulator of the training room his Blackhawk Squadron was using. The second Battlegroup had returned home to the shipyards at Catain and its fighter and bomber squadrons were refitting and retraining while the ships were going through their routine checks.

Catain was where most of the Squadron training centers and bases were located, with auxiliary bases located on Cataan and in the other colony systems. Most of the fleet yards were in orbit around Catain and all of the battlegroups could link up there if the situation called for it. 

And there were no longer just seven battlegroups now. After events that had occurred at the Battle of Endor and the following conflicts that had arisen with the Bothans, it was the growing events within the Empire that led to Jameson DeGarmo posing the idea of expanding the size and number of Cataan’s battlegroups as well as Marine forces, to which the Clan Council unanimously agreed. Nine battlegroups were now in existence with a tenth being formed. 

They would be sorely needed. 

Word had spread throughout the entire fleet now of how the New Republic had requested that Cataan contribute a portion of their fleet to the group that was to attempt to halt the Empire’s advance into the area of Ord Canfre. Admiral Hathaway and her Third Battlegroup had been tasked to this assignment. It had been a long, hard-fought battle that saw barely half of Third Battlegroup limping into the shipyards of Catain’s lower hemisphere to commence repairs. 

That had been several months ago…and Third Battlegroup’s remaining ships were still in the last stages of repair and replenishment while replacement ships were being finished or reassigned to it. 

_I’m just glad that Ellia and Kam had made it out okay_ , Wesley thought as he kept rubbing his eyes. A while after the fights they had had with the Bothans, Ellia Garza had been offered command of FS-107…the Lone Knights Squadron that Wesley had been the executive officer of before taking command of the Blackhawks. She had been told that an exec spot was open and immediately accepted when his brother, Kamon Dannic, offered to apply to the position. 

“Skip,” his newer exec, Commander Nick Calpo, called over the comm from Blackhawk Five, “We’ve been through the simulation from what happened at Ord Canfre several times now. And we’re way past the sack time order that Admiral Payne gave us.”

“As much as I’m all for trying again,” came the addition from Blackhawk Nine, “I have to agree with the XO here, Captain. We’re all on the edge here.”

“Since when have you opted to err on the side of caution?” Roselyn Stone asked from her place in the Number 6 simulator. 

“Since I’m having a hard time keeping my eyes open,” Mark Stryker called back from Number 9.

“That’s enough you two,” Wesley said as he popped the canopy on his simulator. “Everyone out.”

He turned and looked at his backseater and asked him. “We have pushed it today, haven’t we?”

“It isn’t my place to say it,” Senior Chief Tarrant said as he undid the chinstrap of his helmet. “But, since you asked, yeah, we could’ve overdone the simulations today, Captain. I’m pretty sure the admiral would say twelve runs would be past the legal limit for one afternoon.”

Wesley nodded and looked to his pilots starting to gather around his simulator cockpit. “Okay, I have pushed too hard today,” he finally admitted as he set his feet down on the deck. “Lets take tomorrow to rest up. Day after, the Admiralty has talked about getting our Marine brethren in on our training sessions since they have expanded their flight groups with Nighthawk equipped squadrons to augment their bomber squadrons. Calpo will be in charge while I have to head to Fighter Command Headquarters to see about coordinating that. Yes, what is it now, Stryker?”

“How come he’s in charge?” Stryker asked as he lowered his hand. 

“One, he outranks you,” Wesley started. “And two, you didn’t want to be the exec. So there you have it. Oh, and one other thing, Mark….”

“Yes sir?”

“When I get back this time…don’t let me see you with the pirate hat and eye patch on again.”

“Even if it might help with crew morale?” Mark Stryker asked with a pained look on his face.

“I didn’t say you couldn’t do it, Mark,” Wesley told him. “I just don’t want to see you in it and try to explain it away like you did last time.”

“Aye, aye, sir,” Mark said in that pirate voice, which got the squadron, including Wesley to laughing. 

“Alright, folks, dismissed.”

* * *

_ **Cataan** _

“There was something else on your mind,” Chris-tien Jinn told him as they walked down the path with a few others of the High Council. “You wouldn’t have asked us to walk with you otherwise.”

“I could have,” Steffan told them, “but you are correct, Chris. It is something that we need to discuss about Xan.”

“Qenadius?” Relan asked. “I thought he had been doing remarkably well on Intelligence.”

“He has,” Steffan said to them. “He’s been able to run it very well on his own, and I think that is a mistake that we’ve made. I’ve been meditating more and more on matters and I feel that he thinks there has been a lack of response and motion on our part.”

“The High Council?” Deanne Kett asked.

“The Jedi as a whole, but yes, the council as well. And I think it is time we rectify that situation.”

“You are saying that we need to make him a part of the council?” Chris-tien asked him. 

“I am,” Steffan told her. “I think it is something that is past overdue. He has been holding things together and he may feel that he’s doing it alone. He's been out of the loop on the council meetings and we need to mend this and get more things in motion. We’ve been on the sidelines too long, letting ourselves getting caught up into all of this just as the Old Order was before. Events are troubling me and I feel that we do not need to be in a reactive role anymore.” 

“At least consider the ideas I’ve been talking about,” He told them as they got to the fork that branched off to go to the Praxeum and the other to Steffan’s home. “I’ll see you at the praxeum in the morning.” 

They parted and Steffan did his best to clear his mind as he started down the short path to his family’s home. It didn’t come easy, and rarely did these past few years. Things had changed after Msst…for everyone…on a personal level, a family level, and on a galactic level. 

Andrea was becoming more and more the diplomat with people who were seeking refuge after leaving systems that the Empire had begun taking over. Combined with the raising of Ian, who was now close to three years old now, and her responsibility as a teacher to the young Marin Durza in the Jedi arts, she was now beginning to understand the times that Steffan had to be away to the business he had to attend to and the missions he had to go on and understood just how it had been on him to leave his family here on Cataan. 

Dilan, in his own way, understood it as well. He and Kara had made their home on Cataan now and welcomed their new daughter, Jenai, into the world. In the times where Steffan was absent from the praxeum, he acted as the headmaster of the praxeum to a degree. His growing abilities there, as well as his actions during Rhen Var and Msst, had brought the council into granting him the title of Master now. 

Ryneas, almost to his eighteenth birthday now, had completed his Trials not long after the Battle of Msst and had already been through several missions as a Jedi Knight. His time with Ereena Cadre, Brink and Nib Cadre’s daughter, had helped temper him, Steffan believed, and was with the blessings of both sides. Brink had had his misgivings about it, being a father, but he knew that if Ryneas was anything like his father that Ereena would be in good hands and he needn’t be concerned.

The youngest of the Karrde’s children, Catharine also had not displayed as strong an ability in the Force as their other two blood children, Andrea and Ryneas, had. She had grown up not being resentful of her siblings or her father’s abilities as Jedi and took to learning other things from her mother and later enrolling in medical courses to further what she had been taught. She had told Steffan and Jade that she felt that was where her calling would lay, healing and tending to others in need. As she saw it, she could help them in this way as her father and siblings protected them from those that sought to harm them. 

He still had not been completely successful in clearing his mind as he walked through the front door of their home. The lights were low in the living area of the house and there were no lights in the kitchen, music room, or his study - which told him that Catharine was already turned in for the night. She was the only child left at the house since Ryneas spent the majority of his time at the praxeum of his own decision. She was in Andrea’s old room now and the other bedrooms had been kept for the grandchildren now. 

“I was wondering how much longer you would be,” Jade said as she looked up from the book she was reading on her side of their bed. “For a first meeting, you were gone for a long time.”

“There’s a lot to talk about,” Steffan told her as he walked into their closet and began to remove his belt. “Catharine already asleep?”

“A few hours ago. There’s something seriously troubling you, my love.”

“I never could hide anything from you,” he said as he finished changing into something to sleep in and climbed in next to her. “With all of this that has been happening with the Hutts and their expansion…I’m concerned about Ainar.”

“He would be able to handle things,” Jade told him. “You said he had grown in his abilities.”

“I didn’t only mention that,” he reminded her. “He was also very reluctant to try to regain what he's lost of himself. Even now, three years later, I’m wondering if I should have let him go off again.”

“You know what Arie would have said,” Jade told him as she curled up against him. “You can’t rush what he has to go through.”

“I’m still concerned,” he told her. “Barab I is on the other side of Nal Hutta from us…and is in the middle of their territory now. With the Force wounds we’ve been feeling, I don’t know if it would have affected him there…if he’d see about who was responsible…or, worse if he was caught up in it.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _sheb'uyce_ \- asshat

“And, I’m telling _you_ , General,” Myk was out on the balcony with a datapad and a comlink. “There aren’t enough Jedi left for you to keep leaning on them. They’ve sworn to protect the Republic, so they’ll give it their best shot, but you’ll be signing their death warrant if you keep pushing like this.”

“ _Really, Colonel Dinn?”_ Maxell’s voice was as placid and calm as ever. _“Must you be so dramatic? It’s not as though I’m asking them to fight a war for us. I’m merely seeking their aid in areas where a regular soldier might not be sufficient.”_

“Right,” Myk snapped. “Like suicide missions, and ultra-deep cover ops. You do realize that Knights are _disappearing_ around the galaxy right now, yes? They’re running thin as it is.”

“ _Yes, yes,”_ Maxell dismissed Myk’s arguments. _“Perhaps a brief respite is in order, however, I have the security of the galaxy to consider. And, what sense does it make to continue to donate funds and supplies to an organization that appears to be unable to deliver?”_

Myk was hot to retort before Maxell cut him off.

“ _Which reminds me,”_ The General said. _“Your consulting fee has been deposited into your account. And yet, I’ve had no news of your recent mission to Obroa-Skai. How is the Empire’s library world this time of year?”_

“Busy,” Myk growled, but Maxell had just shown part of his hand, and Myk-Ron wasn’t going to push it. “But, you’ll have your report by mid-day.”

“ _Oh?”_ Maxell seemed surprised, but he covered it well enough that anyone who wasn’t Myk-Ron Dinn might not have picked it up. _“Very good, Colonel. You may give it to my assistant. That is all.”_

The transmission ended. Maxell liked to have the last word these days. Myk made sure the sliding doors were closed before loosing a stream of profanity that would make a Hutt blush. Maxell was in on it, or at least partially in on it. He knew the mission had gone south. He’d probably known before Myk and the crew even got back to Coruscant. He was hoping to gloat, but instead, he’d tipped his hand. It wasn't proof, but the slip-up was enough for Myk-Ron to put the General on his “suspect” list.

 _Nerfhearder!_ Arie’s voice jumped to the forefront of his mind. _Watch your language out there._

 _Sorry, Princess_ , the Rogue sent back as he shut down his datapad and came back into the apartment. Arie was sitting with Evelina, playing a game they’d made up in which they used the Force to try to move a ball into the opposing player’s cup. Each player had a ball and a block at their disposal. They had to control both at the same time. The block could be used to cover their goal while they attempted to get their ball into their opponent’s goal at the same time. Evelina was really good at that game.

“Maxell knew the mission was a failure,” Myk said without preamble. “I haven’t spoken to anyone outside the crew and you since I got back, and I haven’t submitted my report yet.”

“Whoa,” Arie stood, and Evelina giggled as her ball sailed into her mother’s goal. “What are you saying? Maxell is working for the Imps?”

“I’m not saying anything,” Myk put his hands up. “Only that he’s got information he shouldn’t or couldn’t have through normal channels. Whether he’s on the Empire’s payroll or maybe they’re just feeding him information is anyone’s guess. Or, maybe he’s somehow connected to the mercenaries the Empire was using to protect the records hall. I don’t know. I just know that he’s up to something, and it’s starting to feel like something bad.”

“Of all the-“ Arie began, but stopped when she noticed Evelina was paying close attention to what her parents were talking about. “We need to look into this, Myk-Ron, like…yesterday.”

“I know,” the Rogue agreed. “But, we might have to do the leg work ourselves. Talon’s dropped off the galaxy, Qenadius is working really hard on his first grey hairs, and Nik and Vince are hardly subtle about… _anything_.”

“Well, we can’t cancel this trip, Rogue,” Arie said. “Steffan seemed to think it was really important that we be there. I get the feeling this isn’t going to be just a birthday party.”

“Awww,” Evelina groaned. “You guys are gonna do boring grown-up stuff, aren’t you?”

“I don’t like it any more than you do, Little Princess,” Myk cast the toddler a wink. “But, yeah, probably.”

“When we get back then,” Arie nodded to herself. “I’ll see what I can dig up. As the person who put him in charge, well, ‘owing me’ doesn’t begin to cover it.”

“I just had a terrible thought,” Myk said as he leaned against the back of the couch. “Evelina, don’t listen in on this, okay sweety?”

She made a noise of exasperation, but nodded anyway and began playing the game against herself. For a second, Myk-Ron marveled at the girl’s control. He shook his head and turned to his wife. _You don’t think he’s still sweet on you, and trying to get rid of me, do you?_

Arie laughed aloud. _If he is, he’s doing a really poor job of it. Mercenaries against Myk-Ron Dinn and his crew of Rogues? He’s not stupid enough to think that would work._

Myk just shrugged. _If you say so, Princess._

“Like I said,” Arie insisted. “We’ll check it out when we get back. We need to get down to the hangar. Xan and Calli will be waiting.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Myk nodded. “You notice something funny about those two when we spoke last? Like they were hiding something?”

Evelina stopped her game and looked to her parents. “They want to fight you,” She said in a matter-of-fact tone. “But, they don’t want to hurt you. They want to…help you.”

“You think your sister and Xan want to fight us?” Arie cast a worried look at her daughter. “What makes you say that?”

“They were thinking it really loudly when you guys were talking,” Evelina explained as she grabbed her stuffed taun-taun and pillow. “Grownups are so weird.”

“But they weren’t here, Princess,” Myk said as he knelt down beside his daughter. “We talked to Xan and Calli on the comm unit…”

“I know that, Daddy,” Evelina smiled up at him. “It wasn’t very loud, but I did hear them. It was like they were yelling from really far away. Is it still eve…dropping if you didn’t mean to listen?”

“Eavesdropping,” Myk helped her. “And, no, sweety. It’s okay. Thanks for telling us.” The Rogue looked to Arie, and simply arched an eyebrow at his wife. No mental message, but the question was unmistakable.

Arie shrugged in reply. Then spelled out “M-E P-L-U-S Y-O-U” and shrugged again.

Myk pondered the implication. Evelina was showing exponential growth in the Force on a daily basis. He knew that the kid would be strong, but he hadn’t expected just how strong. Kevin had been strong, but nothing like this. Then again, Kevin had been conceived before Arie had even realized that she was the Phoenix, and well before Myk had been chosen as the Conduit. As he looked at the situation objectively for the first time, it was obvious. Evelina Scarlett Dinn had the potential to be one of the most, if not _the_ most powerful Force-sensitive in the known galaxy. The weight of that notion gave the Rogue pause, and his daughter noticed the look in his eye.

“Daddy?” Her little voice quavered. “Is something wrong? Did I do something wrong?”

Myk shook his head and scooped Evelina up in his arms. “Never, Evelina,” He promised. “Just had a thought, is all.”

“And, Daddy’s not used to having those,” Arie joked as she picked up her satchel and walked up behind him.

“Mommy!” Evelina said. “Daddy’s right here.”

Arie and Myk both laughed.

“I know, Princess,” Arie smiled. “He knows I’m only teasing him.”

“Yeah,” Myk said as he put his daughter down. “It’d take a lot more than that hurt me. You ready to go, Princess?”

“Yes,” Both Arie and Evelina answered at once. Together the three of them left their house on the Presidential level of the Palace and made their way to the private hangar where the _Firebird_ waited.

* * *

_ **Catain** _

Nick Calpo kept looking over his shoulder as he made his way down the corridor of the pilots’ quarters. Mark, behind him, cast a frown at his XO.

“What?” Stryker finally asked. “Have I got something on me?”

“Just remembering the last time Cap. went off and left me in charge,” Nick said, rubbing the back of his head. “Why don’t you just go ahead, and I’ll walk behind you?”

At ease, Sir,” Mark sighed. “It’s never any fun to mutiny when you have permission.” Stryker kicked the wall with his booted foot for good measure. It rang hollow and Roselyn Stone came out from her quarters.

“Damnit Trouble!” She fumed. “I’m trying to sleep in here.”

“My bad,” Mark backed away with his hands up. “You get back in there and get your beauty rest, looks like you could use it.”

To his credit, Mark was ducking before the last words were out of his mouth. Roeslyn’s water bottle bounced off the opposite wall and Mark took off running with Stone close on his tail, with murder in her eyes.

 _It’s like a day-care_ , Calpo thought as he shook his head in defeat. Only they gave the kids a pound of spice and a pile of guns.

* * *

Myk-Ron was just starting the warm-up sequence as Arie and Evelina finished putting their things in the Captain’s Quarters. Out of the forward viewport, he could see Xan and Callista making their way across the hangar deck in travel clothes, and dragging their luggage behind them. The Rogue let the ship’s computer take over the warm-up routines, and headed for the boarding ramp. He arrived as Calli and Xan reached the bottom of the ramp.

“Hey, you two,” Myk said. “The guest cabin is all set up, so you can drop your stuff there. Xan, I could use a hand strapping down Ryneas’ birthday present in the cargo hold. And, Calli, your sister, and Arie should be in the lounge by now. Evelina wanted to make sure you saw her first. Kid’s been missing you like crazy. I don’t know why…”

Callista went to kiss the Rogue on the cheek but punched him in the shoulder instead. “Uh-huh,” She said. “Sure thing, old man.” She gave him a quick hug then and started down the circular corridor to where she could hear Arie and Evelina talking.

“Qenadius,” Myk nodded.

The Mando grunted a quick, “Sir.” But, he gripped Myk’s forearm in a warrior’s greeting. He dropped his gear in the guest cabin then followed Myk to the cargo hold where a new speederbike was waiting to be strapped down.

“Something eating you, Xan?” Myk arched an eyebrow. “Not that you’re the most talkative Mando I’ve met, but you seem a bit tense.”

Xan hid his initial urge to frown at the Corellian and sighed, shrugging. "Long day, long weeks lately actually. You know how it is...making sure the universe doesn't collapse in on itself." he conveyed in a monotone.

"Right," Myk nodded as he gathered some straps from a nearby storage locker. The Rogue began clamping down the speederbike to the floor grating. "I take it Intelligence has been putting in the extra hours? Any new word on Iceheart Jr.'s plans?"

Xan did frown this time as he grabbed some straps himself and began to work on the strapping. "No, I received initial words only and then crews disappear. I just sent my 25th crew into Imp space two weeks ago. Sharon told me they managed to insert into Bastion; but who knows how long that line of contact will last. And Maxell keeps pressuring me for more crews to be sent elsewhere." he groaned a bit as he tightened the last strap he was working on.

"Yeah," Myk sighed as he clamped down the last strap. "I have some information, well a hunch really. I'm sure you've got enough on your plate as it is, but I think you should know. Arie and I will be running our own investigation on General Maxell when we get back. I ran a mission for the NR to Obroa-Skai a few days ago. Took the crew. We were going to try to pull some files from the Imp's data banks. Anyway, the Imps knew we were gonna be there. It was an ambush. And, Maxell seemed to know that things went south before I even got back..."

"Figures..." Xan grunted as he began working on the next strap. "He's always rubbing it in when we lose contact or fail but never gives any assistance and worse expects _more_ from us in return." He sighed again. "But I don't think he's really the one responsible for all of this, just a pawn that the Senate or the Chief of State can use well. You know Maxell, anything to show superiority over others he's all over. Plus, he's had it in for me since that dinner party all those years ago when I was introduced to you lot."

"I don't think he cares much for either of us," Myk agreed. "But, still. He's gotta know something. How could he have known our mission got scrapped before we even got back?" Myk-Ron waved away the question. "Never mind, you've got enough on your plate as it is. There, that should do it," the Rogue proclaimed as he stood. "Think Steffan's gonna have a heart attack when I give his boy the keys to this machine?"

Xan shrugged. "Ryneas hasn't been a boy in my mind for years now. Besides if Jade doesn't decide to kill ya, I think Steffan will be fine. He's also got other things to worry about.." his tone noticeably cooled when Steffan's name was mentioned.

Myk leaned back on the bike's seat and folded his arms. "Okay, Qenadius," He said, point-blank. "You're a terrible dancer. There's something on your mind, and I'm calling you on it. What's the deal? I know Steffan's called a big convocation on Cataan of all the Masters, and I notice how you get cold when I mention his name. Not that you've ever been a ball of warmth to begin with, but this is new."

Xan's eyes flashed anger for a minute before he resumed a passive mask. "A convocation? Really? Seems Karrde was too busy dealing with students to make sure I got that message. But then again, when you leave the operation of the Order in the hands of a decidedly non-diplomatic _sheb'uyce_ things can get lost in the shuffle."

"I wasn't aware that Steffan had abdicated his position," Myk let some of the ice enter his voice. "Way I hear things, the council still meets regularly. Maybe not in person, but they do still meet. You think he's not doing his job?" The Rogue started walking toward the cockpit, indicating Xan should follow him.

"Cataan isn't Coruscant, Corellian." Xan said, this time voicing his anger. "So the council meets, great. Do they actually have a hand on keeping things afloat? Do they from their secure positions elsewhere haggle with the Senate and DoD? Do they send out diplomats and ambassadors to the Hutts or the _kriffing_ rat cans? Are they witness to so many memorial services lately that death becomes standard _kriffing_ practice?" he followed Myk but hung well back. "Yeah, they've been so active as to lend me a hand."

Myk's hands flew over the controls as he slid into the pilot's seat. The pre-flight routine was so ingrained that he barely even had to look. It was good though. It kept him from knocking his son-in-law into the wall. "Listen, Kid," Myk said. "I know you've been under a lot of stress, and I know your area of expertise is intelligence, but you don't know _everything_. I trust Steffan. He's never steered the Jedi wrong before, and I don't believe he'd steer them wrong now. Do you think _you're_ spread thin? The rest of the order isn't doing much better, I'd wager. At least hear him out before you overheat your turbolasers."

Xan was close to cracking now, his voice was very tight now. "Who said he was actually doing the steering. It seems since Msst, every Jedi that was worth their salt decided to _shab_ off. So maybe I've been fighting a battle for nothing. " he rolled his eyes. "Man, the malaise is so thick I could cut it with a piece of flimsy."

"I'm sorry," the sarcasm in Myk's voice was evident. "We decided to ' _shab_ off?' For an intelligence officer, you're not that bright. What do you think I've been up to for the past three years? I've been running missions with the crew back and forth between Hutt space and the Remnant trying to find missing Jedi, and Force-knows what else. Arie's had every general, corporal, colonel, and cook on the comm almost daily asking her advice on military ops and the like. And, we've been raising a daughter. Yeah...it's been a real vacation."

"You've been off fulfilling some damn Corellian holofantasy. That's what you've been doing. Oh and news flash ‘Rogue’,” He growled, "Han Solo you ain't."

"That's _**it**_!" Myk stood, and grabbed Xan by the collar, slamming him into the bulkhead. "You-" But the Rogue stopped as suddenly as he started. He let go of Xan and looked back out the cockpit hatch. "Get us in the air," He said, and he took off toward the lounge and his daughter.

Xan smirked at the retreating Corellian Master. "Fine by me, Captain Asshat!" he yelled before making his way to the controls.

* * *

Callista glanced around for a moment as she stepped into the lounge. It had been a while since she'd set foot on the ship. Spotting Arie and Evelina at the game table, she headed that way, only to be plowed into by the three-year-old.

"Calli!" Evelina cried, leaping into her big sister's arms. "I've missed you!"

Callista's breath was driven from her lungs as Evelina's full weight hit her chest. "I've missed you too, _Ev'ika_. I hope you're doing alright." She hugged her sister to her for a moment.

"Better now," Evelina smiled. "I keep beating mom at our game."

That got a grin from Callista. "Are you now...? You must've been practicing then." she smiled and shifted Evelina to her hip as she wandered over to sit down at the holotable.

"She has," Arie smiled at Callista. "How are you, dear-heart? It feels like I haven't seen you in ages. Keeping that Mando of yours out of trouble?"

A grin spread across Callista's face before she sobered. "I've... been better. I guess I can't complain though. I got some time off to spend with family. It's been insanely busy around the Temple, even considering how few Knights and masters are assigned there."

"Master Healer isn't the easiest of jobs," Arie nodded. "I should know. But, you've got to remember to take at least some time for yourself. Learn to delegate, sweety."

"Yeah," Evelina nodded enthusiastically. "Daddy says 'delegate' means getting other people to do your work for you."

Callista sighed and gently ruffled Evelina's hair a moment before smoothing it with her fingers. "That's rather difficult when there aren't that many to delegate to..."

"Point taken," Arie nodded sadly. "Seems the Jedi can't train students as fast as they're losing Knights. Myk and his crew were just on a mission to Obroa-Skai to see what they could dig up on the Empire, but that mission got scrapped. Has Xan had any leads lately?"

"Not from what he told me. The latest mission inserted ok, but we haven't heard anything since... They are supposed to check in with the Intelligence office in.. six hours..." She frowned. "It just worries me that we are spread so thin...."

"Me too," Arie sighed. "Me too."

"The Jedi will come back," Evelina insisted. "You'll see." The three-year-old grabbed up her game pieces and shoved two of them into Callista's hands. "Play with me?"

Callista looked across at Arie for a moment and shrugged, leaning towards the table with Evelina still in her lap. "You'll have to tell me how to play, _Ev'ika_."

"It's easy," she replied. "This cup is your goal." She gave Callista a small wooden cup. "This is your ball, and this is your block," She pointed to a small wooden ball and a block just big enough to cover the mouth of the cup. "You use the force to try to get your ball into my cup while using your block to keep my ball from going into your cup. Easy." Evelina took a seat next to Arie, and used the Force to levitate her pieces. "The first one to five points, wins!"

Callista laughed and nodded, glancing towards Arie with a shrug as she too levitated her ball and block. For once, she was glad of all the times she'd had to focus on more than one thing during surgery.

"The real trick," Arie said as she watched the girls play. "Is trying to carry a conversation while you play. To that end, I'm sensing an awful lot of tension from you and your husband. Is there something you're not telling me, Calli?"

The game pieces fell at once, and Evelina's Force signature grew suddenly cold. "Xan and Daddy are fighting," She whispered, tears just starting to form in her eyes.

Callista frowned in concentration as she focused on the game. "We're frustrated mostly. We feel like we've been left out of the loop on some things, and with members of Council spreading to the winds..." she shrugged. At Evelina's words, Callista's pieces shook violently as her attention was diverted.

Just then, Myk-Ron came into the lounge and scooped up Evelina in his arms. "Shhhh, Princess," He said. "It's okay. Xan and I were just talking."

Callista looked up sharply as Myk entered the lounge, her game pieces clattering to the table as she did so.

Arie cast a questioning at the Rogue, who just shook his head. "Xan's gonna get us into the air," Myk said. "Cataan's about 8 hours away. I suggest we all get some rest while we're in hyperspace." And, with that, he took Evelina and headed toward the Captain's Quarters.

"I'd better go check on Myk and Evelina," Arie said, standing. She cast a look at Callista as though to say "Men" and headed aft.

Callista opened her mouth to respond, but Arie was gone. With that, she sighed and shook her head, muttering as she headed towards the cockpit.

* * *

Myk returned a few minutes later. Xan had gotten them into open space. The Rogue slid into his seat and took control. "I'll get us into hyperspace. Trip will take eight hours. Why don't you go get some rack time?"

At that moment, Callista stuck her head through the hatch. "Ah, there you are, _Xan'ika_." She leaned over and kissed him gently.

Xan grunted, "Fine." He stood up and stretched and began to head toward the main hatchway before pausing. "Next time Rogue, if you want to rough me up. Make sure you keep one hand on your blaster. Mandos don't learn fifty ways to kill a sentient with a drinking straw for nothing." He smirked again before kissing his wife quickly and said, "Keep an eye on Mr. Congeniality here. When we reach Cataan I want him nice and calm." before stalking off.

"Your hubby really wants me to break him in half, doesn't he?" Myk sighed as Callista slid into the copilot's chair. "He wants a fight," Myk said. "That much is sure. But, I'm not doing it with my daughter just down the hall."

"I'm sorry, sweety," He quickly added, turning to Callista. "I mean my baby-daughter."

Callista nodded. "I can understand that, Myk. But, think. It's been pretty much just us on Coruscant. He's had to handle everything himself. Can you blame him if he feels hung out to dry?"

"You guys ever hear of a comlink?" Myk snapped, a little too harshly. "I'm sorry Callista. I don't mean to be harsh, not to you. But, this conversation would be best held with all parties involved present, and not in front of Evelina." The Rogue set the course and the _Firebird_ lurched into hyperspace. "It's eight hours to Cataan. Go get some rack time. I'll wake everyone up before we get there."

She frowned and sighed. "If you're sure..."

"Yeah, dear-heart," Myk said, rising and kissing her on the forehead. "Get some sleep. I doubt we're gonna have that luxury much longer." And, he headed aft to join Arie and Evelina in the Captain's Quarters.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _She'buy'ce_ \- asshat  
>  _Uj'jayl_ – a thick, sweet, syrup used in cooking.  
>  _Udesii_ – relax, calm down  
>  _Cyar'ika_ \- sweetheart
> 
> Listen to "Change" by Candlebox.

**Aboard the _Firebird_**

With a sigh, Callista stepped into the guest cabin and sank down on the edge of the bunk to pull her boots off before she changed into sleep clothes. She hadn't quite expected things to go as they had. _Shab_ , she knew it would be hard to hide the frustration and irritation from either Myk or Arie. Xan was already in bed, his back to her. But she could tell he wasn't really sleeping.

"Strillbait." Xan cut the tension in the darkened room, using his nickname for Evelina. "She must hate me right now."

Callista swore softly. "I don't know, _Xan'ika_. She can tell you're angry about something. And she knew you and Myk were fighting. _Shab_ , that girl is smart." She flopped down on her back and snuggled up close to him. "Any way you could make it up to her?"

Xan sighed. "I don't know right now, _cyar'ika_. Every time I think about going to her and talking to her, I keep seeing Myk and Arie and wanting to forcibly pull their heads out of their _shebs_. If I go and talk to her now, I can guarantee that what happens when we land will hurt her even more."

She shrugged. "I think she's sleeping right now. Or at least trying to. She's in the Captain's quarters with Myk and Arie." With a frustrated sigh, Callista ran her fingers through her dark hair. "Myk pretty much figured out that you want to toss him around. He said as much, but he won't allow it to happen aboard the Firebird. He thinks you're going to do it though, not me. As to Arie, she only picked up on how frustrated I was. Kinda glad Strillbait didn't elaborate for her."

Xan chuckled briefly but it was dark sounding. "That kid is going to be one powerful Jedi. Emphasis on the Jedi part." He shifted a little closer to his wife. "Oh, I'm going to give Myk his receipt all right, but it's Arie I want my hands on." He caught a slight bit of humor from Callista. "Cute, but you know what I meant. She's the important cog in this plan. I'm going to make sure she understands _how_ important her knowledge and experience are."

Callista smirked slightly, but it faded. "I can understand her wanting to get away from politics. _Shab_ , none of us want our hands in it. That's no way to raise a kid, either. But she does have important skills. Honestly, I was shocked at how withdrawn and closed off she was when I met her all those years ago. She still is, to an extent. Both of them have the experience that the Order needs. It's something we can't substitute with books... and not the kind of experience I just want to toss students into, either..."

"She left the order because Myk-Ron was 'dead' and became greater in influence and experience then the Presidents and Chiefs of State she's served under. Fine. But Myk-Ron isn't dead, she's got a second chance at youth now and a daughter that will surpass them both in power and control and she sits on the sidelines? Letting Myk have this old man's fantasy of going back to 'how things used to be'. She can council Steffan and everyone else to abandon Coruscant but she doesn't even call us except for Evelina's birthdays or a family dinner once in a while. And every time I bring up the subject, she wants nothing to do with it. Myk doesn't know how many times I've asked her for help."

"I had no idea...." Callista said softly. " _Shab_ , you barely talk to me about it, either..." she rebuked softly, poking him gently in the ribs as she snuggled up. "I just don't know how to get either of them to see how much they are needed. I get the feeling that They'll feel a bit... betrayed once we pull this. I hope though that it will open their eyes... and everyone's really."

Xan turned around and wrapped her in his arms. "I didn't bring it up with you cause you've had more then your fair share of situations with what's going on lately. How may autopsies and family condolences have you done in the last three years? You've had only snippets of my visions and they've scared you silly. I couldn't add to your burdens just yet." Xan sighed. "And they may feel betrayed, every Jedi will when I pull this. Though I sense my plan will end up doing something I don't want to happen in other ways." He kissed the top of her head "As for those two, they can feel betrayed all they want at me for a while. But they will be back in the Order and they will do their duty they've neglected during this fantasy time."

"What else are you worried about, _cyar'ika_...? Are you worried we might lose more Jedi because some might leave the Order...?"

Xan smirked a bit. "I sense Steffan is pulling some strings of his own, using them to ensnare me into something I don't want."

She quirked an eyebrow. "How do you mean?"

Xan sighed. "What do you do with troublemakers _Cal'ika_?" he asked her. "Think about this a minute."

She grinned. "Keep them where you can watch them at all times. Are you saying there's a concern you'll go and do something rash?"

Xan laughed. " _Nayc, cyar'ika_. More like payback for what I've been and am going to do."

She raised an eyebrow as she thought about it. "So... they'll give you some sort of authority... another job to worry about, maybe? Not like you don't have enough to do already..." She sighed and traced her fingers down his bare chest.

"Very good, _Master_ Gseran. Seems like you're finally getting the sensing skills you used to be jealous about…"

She eyed him sideways for a moment. "Don't you start, _Qenadius_...." there was a slight edge to her tone, but no anger.

Xan chuckled and leaned in and kissed her. "But this brings me to another thing I've been thinking about."

" _Me'ven_....?" Callista asked, her eyebrow quirking again as they broke apart.

Xan's face darkened once again but this time out of fear rather than anger. "Remember those sessions I spent studying other Force traditions, specifically Aing-Tii techniques?"

"A little, _elek_...." she said softly, sensing the cold chill that went through his sense in the Force. She snuggled in close.

"One of the things I learned was a rare skill only taught to heads of society. A skill that in their tradition was done to pass on leadership skills to the candidate upon the old leader's moment of death. they called it unsurprisingly death projection."

Callista frowned. "I've never heard of that... Do you know how it works?"

Xan smiled. "It's like a projective vision. The old and dying master shares their skills and experiences via a vision that pierces the candidates ingrained walls. The candidate can do nothing but bear witness to what they are forced to see."

She frowned slightly. "I can see the use in it.. though it is a bit.... brutal."

Xan nodded. "But I doubt anyone in the entire Order has seen what I've seen, and this is the only way to get through to them how bad this vision is and why we can't allow this to come to pass!"

"How would you accomplish such a thing?"

Xan's face became placid. "Another one of my skills is to take advantage of Force generation. I essentially can act like a human turbine. Collecting generating Force and cycling it into a skill I need or allowing it to feedback to the other users. I intend on generating a large audience during this fight, I'm going to use the force they generate at one point to feed this vision into everyone there."

"Have you considered that forcibly sending this vision could do damage to some?" Callista asked with a frown. "The Knights and Masters can probably handle it, but I don't know about some of the students..."

Xan nodded. "I can buffer the force of the energy I receive and buffer the intensity into more delicate minds. I've been practicing this skill quite a bit. Ask Ally about Xan's experiments if you don't believe me."

That surprised her. “What.... have you been doing with my Padawan, _cyar'ika_?" she asked softly.

" _Udesii_ , I haven't been doing anything to her. I've been having her monitor the health of the volunteers and myself during these training sessions."

She searched his face for a moment. "And why didn't you tell me about this. If it's so important, I should have been informed..."

Xan was starting to get annoyed now. "Cause I needed to find my limits and what I could do for myself."

" _Udesii_..." she said softly, kissing him gently as she snuggled closer. "I wouldn't have interfered."

"You would've stopped it if I explained this to prior to these training sessions and don't tell me different, _Master Healer_." Xan said. He was still annoyed, but less so now. "Anything that is a potential risk to those involved must be cleared by Council, the Master Healer or placed leadership." He said, reciting a council directive.

Her lips quirked slightly. "And how exactly did you convince Ally to help you...?" she asked, with a slight grin as she thought of her bubbly padawan.

"All expenses paid trip to Velusia with the clearance to go from me signing off on it." Xan said with a bit of a groan.

Callista burst out laughing. "She sure knows how to wrap my husband around her finger..."

“She _is_ your padawan you know. Sharon is pestering her for tips already." Xan groaned again.

"What exactly are you saying, _cyar'ika_...?" she asked with a grin as she poked him in the ribs before leaning over to kiss him.

"Sharon wants a trip of her own...." He shook his head. "I'm supposed to be the big, bad _Mando'ad sheb'uyce_ that everyone's afraid of. Yet those two don't seem to get that."

“Well, I don't either... so I guess it rubs off." She grinned wickedly. "This _Mando'ad_ , as I've discovered has a soft core under all that _beskar_..." she said softly as she walked her fingers up his chest before she leaned in and kissed him.

Xan chuckled lightly. "Maybe, _cyar'ika_. But the next few days I've got to be anything but soft." He kissed her again before looking into her eyes. "If you don't want to help me out on this idea of mine, you can say so now and I'll take the fall on my own. No hard feelings."

She looked back at him for a long moment. "Are you sure? I do think the wake-up call is needed. I'm a little worried about the risk to some of the students with the vision. I won't stop you, _cyar'ika_. You wouldn't go to all the trouble if it wasn't serious." She sighed. "You know there are times that we won't agree. But you must do what you feel is right. Just be prepared for some ... backlash..."

Xan sighed. "That's the whole point, _Cal'ika_....I'm not doing this and thinking I'm getting away with this scot-free. But it has to be done." he sighed and looked at her closely. "The vision....you need to hear this first."

Something in his tone made her swallow involuntarily, and her grip on his hand tightened.

"You wanted to know why this was so important. Well.....if they don't get this wake-up call now. Then events will become out of our control. So much so that we end up with no future....." his voice cracked. " _I saw the galaxy die..."_

"Wh...what....?" she gasped, and her voice caught in her throat as she tried to wrap her mind around it. "Die... how?"

"The wounds in the Force, _cyar'ika_. You know how numerous they are now, but what can be done to heal them correct?" he said softly. "If we don't do something now, these wounds will multiply exponentially. So much so that the Force will die and if the Force dies...."

" _We..... die_...." she choked out, before burying her head in his shoulder.

"Not just the _Jetiise, cyar'ika_.....all life. A galactic-sized wound in the Force. And since we haven't been able to perfect extra-galactic travel yet..."

She stilled in his embrace for a long moment, shaking slightly as she tried to wrap her thoughts around the implications of that.

"You see why it's time for blunt and brutal now? Still want to back away?" he asked leaning into her, ready to fall asleep but waiting for her decision.

For a long moment, there was silence between them as she considered what he'd just told her. She was a Healer. Blunt and brutal wasn't really in her nature. But she didn't exactly coat things in _uj'jayl_ , either. " _Cyar'ika_..... if what you see is true, then we have to do something. But, how can you know? The future is always in motion. The more you focus on something happening, the more chance that it will..."

"There is something connecting everything together, all these events we are witnessing now. But who is doing the connecting, that I can’ say. There are holes... pieces of the vision cut out, wounds of vision as it were. I just know this is not by chance."

She sighed heavily and leaned into his shoulder. "I told you I'd help you confront Arie and Myk. But the vision you're on your own. I have no idea what effect or ramifications it might have, so I'll have to be mindful of that."

Xan nodded. "All I can ask for anyway." He leaned back. "Let's get some sleep. Deal with this on Cataan."

"Mhmm..." she responded sleepily, as she snuggled into his chest, her breathing evening out a little as she fell asleep, her arms wrapped firmly around him, as if she didn't want to let go.

* * *

Evelina’s slow and steady breathing rose and fell with the rhythm of the _Firebird’s_ hyperdrive. In a small bed across the spacious interior of the Captain’s Quarters, Myk’s Little Princess slept content and peaceful. The Rogue laid awake, staring at the ceiling and concentrating on his own breathing. Xan had successfully shattered his calm. Usually, that was no easy task, but Xan was family, and that fact made matters much more… _interesting_.

Were Xan a subordinate in the military, Myk would have been all over him like a Hutt on a bucket of…whatever it is Hutts eat. Hell, if Myk were still officially in the Order, he’d have mopped the floor with him, and had him scrubbing latrines in the Temple for a month for gross insubordination. As it was, the only real tie Myk-Ron had to the kid was being his adopted father-in-law. He needed a serious attitude adjustment, no doubt about it. How and why he’d become so disrespectful was even more perplexing.

“So,” Arie, lying next to him, placed a hand gently on his chest and whispered. “What was that all about?”

Myk-Ron sighed, “Apparently, Xan has some abandonment issues.”

Arie stifled a laugh. “Really?” she asked. “The carved-from- _beskar_ -and-stoicism Mando is having feelings of insecurity?”

“Yeah,” Myk turned to face those icy blues he loved so much. “Weird, huh?”

“An understatement.”

Myk shrugged. “Apparently, he feels as though Steffan has shirked his duty as Grandmaster of the Order, the council has been doing nothing for the past three years, you and I are off on some fantasy thrill-vacation…basically, we’ve all left him and Calli to ‘run the universe’ in our unexcused absences.”

“There is so much wrong with that statement that I don’t even know where to begin,” Arie shook her head in amazement.

“Tell me about it,” Myk nodded. “Where is this even _coming from_?”

“Steffan’s been working himself to death trying to replenish the Jedi ranks; making sure they have students to train, supplies to keep the various academies running…he’s got Knight’s with hardly a month of experience under their belts out on recruitment runs from here to the outer rim and back. Not to mention all the time he spends in Council meetings trying to keep everyone on task with all that’s been going on,” Arie fumed. “The Council has been going mad, as short-staffed as it is, trying to hold everything together. And, Xan’s upset because of what, exactly?”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out,” Myk scratched his head and stared back at the ceiling. “He’s about as subtle as a Hutt at feeding time, but he must have been bottling all this up for a while the way he snapped-“

“The way _he_ snapped?” Arie interrupted. “What exactly did he say that made _you_ snap, anyway? That’s not like you, Myk; not with family anyway.”

“Oh,” Myk grew quiet. “Yeah. He said something along the lines of, ‘you’ve been fulfilling some Corellian holofantasy’ and ‘Han Solo, you ain’t’.”

“Okay,” Arie was taken aback. “So his being family is the reason he’s not a grease-spot on the decking. I rescind my previous question.”

Myk chuckled softly but continued to stare at the ceiling.

“Still,” Arie continued. “We ‘left him to run the universe’? We never ‘ran the universe’. We had important jobs, sure. We may have been more active in the upper echelons of things, but it’s not like we’ve dropped off the face of the Galaxy entirely…”

“No,” Myk agreed. “But, I guess we aren’t as visibly active in things as we used to be. I always thought that was a good thing though. I mean, you and I can’t keep saving the NR and the rest of the galaxy all the time. What’s going to happen when we’re gone?”

“I know,” Arie sighed, and was quiet for a moment. The hum of the ship and Evelina’s soft breathing provided a soothing backdrop to a troubling conversation. “But,” she said, finally. “We’re not gone yet.”

“No,” Myk agreed. “No, we’re not.”

“Maybe that’s the point Xan’s trying to make?” Arie hazarded a guess. “Granted, he’s doing a terrible job of making it, but I guess it’s a possibility.”

“Yeah,” Myk said. “But, what do we do? Rejoin the Order? Stage a coup, oust Maxell, and put you back in charge? I mean, I don’t even know how we could rejoin the order or if I’d even want to. Steffan’s been having me guest-teach at his Praxeum and he’s been teaching the kids there a wider, more Rogue-friendly view of things, but they’re still Jedi…and I can’t recite the code as though I believe in it. And, I’m pretty sure that staging a coup is still considered treason in the NR.”

“Besides, it’s not as though we’ve been sitting on our hands all this time. We’ve been doing our own investigating into these Force wounds, I’ve been running covert ops for the NR, and you’ve been doing your consulting thing. Is that not enough?”

Arie and Myk were quiet for some time, then. Again, the sounds of the ship at night reclaimed their dominance. On a shelf above the bed he and Arie shared was a long cylindrical object, caked in dust, and scratched in places. Next to it was an ancient holo of the man to whom it belonged. Myk’s eyes fell on the hilt of his old Master’s lightstaff, and Arie breathed out a small sigh.

“You and I both know what he would have said,” she kissed his cheek, and rolled over to snuggle deeper into her pillow.

“Yeah,” Myk nodded, finally taking his eyes off the hilt. He rolled over and put his arm around Arie’s slender waist. “He’d tell me, ‘It never is’.” The Rogue kissed his wife. “We’ll settle things once we’re dirt-side…which, unfortunately, is now only five hours away. So, four hours of sleep, one hour of awkward tension while everyone wakes up and gets ready for the day, then a day full of fun and surprises on Cataan.”

“Sounds _lovely_ , Dear,” Arie yawned sleepily. “Now, would you kindly shut up, so I can get to that sleep thing you mentioned?”

Myk-Ron smiled and hugged her to him closer. “As you wish, your Highness.”


	7. Chapter 7

Myk was up and at the controls well before he needed to be. For myriad reasons, he'd had trouble falling and then staying asleep. An hour before they would reach Cataan, he woke the others. Xan had grunted, but at least maintained the appearance of civility. Callista seemed positively frazzled. On the one hand, she was overtly nice to Arie and Myk, on the other, she seemed...hesitant and stand-offish.

Evelina was bouncing off the walls from the start. The excitement of visiting Cataan, and the ensuing birthday party was enough to set the toddler to fits of over-zealous joy. But, at least she was happy. Myk worried about how empathic she was, how easily she picked up on people's moods and was then affected by them. Shaking his head, he pulled the levers and dropped the _Firebird_ back into real-space.

Cataan hung beautifully just out the forward viewport. Evelina in the co-pilot's chair clapped her hands in excitement. "It's Cataan!" She cried, pointing.

"You got it, kiddo," Myk smiled as he commed up system control. "Cataan STC, this is freighter _Firebird_ en route to the Karrde residence. Requesting clearance to enter Cataani space."

 _"We copy your identification, Firebird and we were told to expect you,"_ the controller acknowledged on the other end of the line. _"You are cleared for approach. Request you set transponder frequency to 201.58."_

"Acknowledged, Control," Myk replied. "Frequency set, awaiting course update and nav data."

"Why do you talk funny on the headset, Daddy?" Evelina looked up at the Rogue with icy blues that matched her mother's.

"It's to make sure everyone on the comm understands what is being said," Myk smiled back at her.

"Ohhhhhh," She nodded sagely, and turned her attention back to the forward viewport.

_"Updates sent, Firebird. Use caution if you cross the terminator, we have a Nighthawk squadron on training maneuvers. STC out."_

"Roger that," Myk commed as he laid in the course and pointed the Firebird towards the updated coordinates. " _Firebird_ out."

"Here we go!" Evelina checked the straps on her harness. "I love flying in the air!"

"Me too, Princess," Myk smiled. "Me too."

* * *

Xan's demeanor had changed a bit as soon as the reversion was completed. If he was stiff but civil beforehand, now he was stoic and pulsating with irritation. It was hard to keep from broadcasting it to Evelina. But thankfully the excitement of the visit and her father's talk with STC was keeping her attention on other things and off of him right then. Xan didn't say anything. Just made sure his helmet was clipped to his belt and re-adjusted his gloves a bit.

Callista looked up from checking the clips holding her plates in place. " _Udesii, Xan'ika_. If you don't tamp down, Myk'll probably be asking all sorts of questions." She sighed. While she didn't fully agree with the method, she did agree that something had to be done. What worried her more was how Xan's projection of his vision would affect those gathered. She shook her head. No use fretting over it now. With a deep breath, she felt her shoulders relax... at least a little as she clipped her sabers to her belt, followed by her helmet.

Within twenty minutes, Myk crested the first of the mountains that marked the range where Steffan's house was nestled. It was just after sunrise on this side of the planet and as the estate came into view, the lake shone in brilliant golden light. The grass and trees surrounding the estate were bathed in the warmth reflected from those crystalline waters, and the house at the foot of the hills glowed in the morning sun.

It was about as picturesque as a holovid, and Myk couldn't help but enjoy the site despite the fact that he could feel Xan tensing up in the back like a wild cat ready to pounce. Gently, and with a practiced hand, he brought the _Firebird_ down on the landing pad just south of the house. As the engines cooled, he triggered the ramp, and scooped Evelina up in his arms. He made for the ramp, with Arie in tow, and found Steffan outside waiting for them.

"Hey, Steffan!" Myk called as he set Evelina down. The small girl ran to Karrde with her arms outstretched.

"Uncle Steffan!" She cried, leaping toward the Jedi.

Behind Myk and Arie, the Rogue could hear the _beskar_ -laden footfalls of Xan and Calli exiting the _Firebird_.

Steffan laughed as he scooped up her into his arms and spun her around in a hug. Jade was there too and was grinning as Evelina stretched out to get a hug from her too.

Xan and Callista made their way down the ramp a short time after Arie, Evelina and Myk and while Callista made her way to Steffan. Xan hung back to keep his hands busy futzing with luggage.

"She's about Ian's size now," Steffan said as he greeted Myk with the warrior's shake and then hugged Arie. "Safe trip, I trust?" He didn't wait for the answer as he hugged Callista and looked at her. "You seem tense, daughter," he told her as he looked to Xan and then to Myk and Arie. "You all do..."

Myk caught the Jedi's eye. "Safe," He said. _'I don't know about uneventful'_ , he sent and nodded over his shoulder to where Xan was pacing a track in the duracrete.

Callista deftly skirted around Myk and Arie, making her way over to hug Steffan and Jade briefly. It was hard to keep such a tight rein on her feelings. She shifted a little at Steffan's comment, unsure what to say.

Steffan arched an eyebrow and looked among them again. "Well, Andrea isn't here yet and Dilan is currently going through lessons with the students with Ryneas right now so it's just us."

"Have you had breakfast yet?" Jade asked them as she set Evelina down on the landing pad.

Xan said nothing still as he made sure to keep himself away from the family reunion. He kept rubbing his gloved hands together and pacing.

“Evelina," Arie said. "Why don't you go ahead with your Aunt Jade and see if she needs help with breakfast?"

"Can I?" Evelina asked. "I don't have to help unpack?"

"If it's okay with your Aunt Jade," Myk said, looking to her for help, and hoping she'd understand.

"I don't see when it won't be okay," Jade said to him with a grin and offered her hand and let Evelina lead her down the path to the house. Steffan stayed on the pad and looked to all of them. He had felt it when they entered the system but remained quiet about it for now.

As Jade and Evelina walked down the path to the house, Xan's pacing stopped but the tension, once palpable was now electric. He still remained quiet and held himself back, but now could broadcast without fear of Evelina's mistaking his anger.

Once they were well out of sight, Myk and Arie turned so everyone was facing each other.

Steffan kept looking at all of them and noticed that no one was saying anything. He had a sense that Xan was the source of all of this and he knew that the best...if not only route...to a solution was at the source.

"Xan?" he asked him, concerned for all of his friends and family now.

Xan looked at Steffan and did nothing to keep the anger from his voice. "I'm calling in a favor, Karrde..." he growled and pointed. "Those two are done with their holofantasy. They may have resigned their ranks a long time ago, but the circumstances behind that no longer apply!"

Callista's gaze slid briefly in Xan's direction before she looked back to Steffan, wondering how he'd take all of this. She stood lightly on the balls of her feet, ready to move if needed.

"Again with the disrespect," Myk snapped. "You got some _nerve_ , Kid. You should really try to think about what you say before you say it."

Steffan straightened slightly, catching Callista's eyes on him and nodded ever so slightly to her that he was fine for the moment. He looked to Myk and Arie and could tell from their reaction that this wasn't the first discussion they had had on this subject and he looked again to Xan for his response before he said anything.

"I don't know where you get your info, but it's pretty far off-course, Xan," Arie chimed in. "We may not be pulling the same strings, but that doesn't mean we've abandoned the galaxy...or you and Calli."

Callista's lips thinned to set line at that. "How do you expect us to react? Coruscant doesn't have many Jedi there. I realize we're losing Jedi all the time..... but we weren't given any guidance. And what the _kriff_ is this about a Council meeting? We weren't informed.."

"Save it," Xan barked. "I've tried coming to you for advice, _General_ ," saying the word bitterly. "And every time I get blown off saying those days are behind you while you play chummy with the NR in unofficial channels."

"Watch your tone," Myk's voice was a blast of icy water infused with the power of the Force as it began to course through him. The hairs on the backs of his arms began to stand on end, but he kept it in check.

Xan’s eyes flashed dangerously as he walked towards them. "As for you Rouge, you can save your _osik_." And with that, he drilled Myk-Ron with a right hook, "There's your receipt for getting your hands on me before."

Myk rolled with the right-hook, and the Force rushed in on him at once. Coming around, he drove his right hand into Xan's stomach and _pushed_. The Force of the push dented _beskar_ , and sent the Mando flying. "I said, _watch your tone_ , boy!"

"Myk-Ron!" Arie forced herself in front of her husband and put both hands on his shoulders _. "Enough!_ "

Steffan stepped in between them before Xan had a chance to get back up. At this point, he didn't really know if he could stop the two right now. "Enough," he finally said, his voice stern and loud enough.. _he hoped_..to get everyone's attention before it got out of hand.

Xan fell back stunned but rolled with the momentum, rolling ass over teakettle but making it to his feet. He grinned ferally. "Wassamatter, Corellian? Need to rely on the Force all the time?" He then noticed Steffan and growled, "Fine, Steffan...I want their ranks reactivated _now_. And placed in Intelligence!"

"I fight like I was trained, _boy_ ," Myk said. "I was a lifer in the NR military. We fight to win. But, I don't need the Force to lay you out where you stand."

Myk's comment made Callista bristle slightly, and she moved to take a step towards the group, barely stopping herself from going for her saber.

Steffan shot a warning glance to Callista, his eyes ordering her to stay her hand.

Callista bit her lip, but nodded. Her hand didn't move any closer to her saber, but it didn't move _away_ , either.

"I said enough!" Steffan yelled out. " _Both_ of you!"

"Myk!" Arie tried again. "Please!"

The Rogue found her icy blues, and the air lost some of its charge. He took a breath, and calmed himself, whispering to his wife, "I'm sorry."

Xan barked again, "No Steffan....if you don't do this then I will!" he growled. "You have no idea why I need this!"

"Do what?" Myk and Arie asked simultaneously.

"What are you so worked up about?" Arie asked. "It's not like you, Xan."

Steffan held out a hand to Myk and Arie as he slowly looked to Xan and walked to him, the question in his eyes but he moved close to ask it. "What is this about, Xan? I'm asking calmly..."

"I...." he faltered a bit before he looked at his hands. His Force presence now wasn't radiating anger, but sheer self-loathing. He looked up at the others before uncharacteristically falling to his knees.

Steffan knelt with him, his hand going to Xan's shoulder. "Deep breath, Xan. We're right here."

Myk's fire went out, and Arie nearly cried. Neither expected this. Their hearts broke at the sight.

Callista moved across the landing pad, her gaze finding Steffan's as she slid to her knees in front of Xan, her hands shaking slightly.

"You don't understand....everything I do isn't good enough.....it's still there."

"What is still there, son?" Steffan asked him, concern in his eyes. He had a thought and held out his hand for the Mando to take hold of. "Show me..."

Cautiously, Myk and Arie stepped closer. "Show us," Arie said, extending a hand, her eyes soft and pleading.

Callista's hand found Xan's other hand, and she clung to it, biting her lip as she felt the swell of fear and grief from her husband.

Xan looked at his hands again before looking to Callista. It wasn't supposed to go this way but she just nodded so Xan probed the force. "This will feel weird..." And as he touched the Force the images haunting him were now displayed in full.

_The vision began with the fight on Rhen Var. The Imperial squad there, and a ship of unknown design - but from the emotions swirling in Xan, they knew that whatever the ship was; it wasn't good. Then the scene shifted to Ossus and a macabre scene of Jedi standing as if statues. They looked like wax mannequins except for the gruesome fact that they were ashen grey, eyes staring into nothingness and the nothingness was that of sheer horror._

_There was writing on walls done in blood of sentients, but in a script none but Jedi remembered. The script was from Ancient Tython, the birthplace of the Jedi. The messages said the same thing "One rises and the rest die..."_

_Next, the vision switched to the Imperials again, or what seemed like the imperials but the vision was like that of a broken kaleidoscope, pieces were cut out and distorted. But the menace hung in the air as it were and the sounds of braying laughter chilled the blood. The scene flashed again, this time to the Mandalorians and well known faces popped up but the scene was far from good. "How many have we lost now? General, two-thirds of the continent have fallen, it's like nothing we've seen before..."_

_"Keep putting men on the front lines, I don't care how sick we are. We're the holding point, the Jedi can't do everything..." The scene flashed once more to a nondescript building in what seemed like Nar Shaadaa. It was Xan, Myk and Brink. "If anyone knows this guy, I got a feeling it's in my old Masters' files..."_

_The scene flashed once more, but this time now the real panic set in for Xan. It was of a little Evelina in her mother's lap, dying. "Mommy, Why does it hurt so bad?"_

There was a tremendous surge in the Force then. The vision skewed further, and nearly broke as the collective cries of the Phoenix and the Conduit nearly tore the thin veil between worlds.

Callista had to choke back a sob, but her hand that held Xan's shook as she saw that. It tore at her heart. She felt the surge, and felt it push at her.... the anguish pulled at her soul.

Xan's emotions were starting to become unglued at that point but the vision kept going. _Now the scene shifted to a view of the a mountainous planet and the bad kaleidoscope begun again, the voices now were just of two Jedi. "We've done everything we could....but there is no hope now, the galaxy is going to die. We can't stop the wounds." Then the sound of the planet's core cracking and breaking and then the vision faded to black._

Myk and Arie withdrew then, fire blazing in the Phoenix's eyes and lightning dancing in her husband's. " _What_ ," Myk said.

" _Was that?_ " Arie finished.

Steffan's breath caught then at that last moment. _**Those mountains were as familiar to him as nothing else in the galaxy.**_ It was these very same mountains that they were in now. The force of all of the visions made him stagger back from where he was kneeling and sat on the ground.

"You wanted to know why I feel horrible...." Xan said, now openly crying. " _I saw the galaxy die_. The way we are doing things now is only allowing the situation to get worse."

Callista's hand slipped from Xan's, and she slumped, gasping as her head swam. She tried to breathe, but it was almost like she'd forgotten how.

Steffan's eyes were tightly closed; again and again he replayed what he had just learned in his mind.

"And you know that for sure?" Arie knelt beside Xan now, putting an arm around his shoulders. "The future is a tricky business. Even the great masters of old could not read them fully."

Myk-Ron went to Callista, and helped her to sit up. He sent cooling waves of reassurance through her, and whispered, "Breathe, sweetheart. Breathe. It's okay."

Xan sighed, no fight left in him. "Cause it's all I've kept seeing. Every development has only intensified this vision." Xan sounded broken. "I needed your help Arie, but I couldn't get this across without scaring you or worse, Strillbait."

"Xan," Arie continued. "I agree that something needs to be done, but we need to think this through. I knew a boy once who tried to change the future he saw in his visions..."

"The wounds have increased, my sister," Steffan said quietly as he stayed sitting there. There was a tear coming down his cheek now. "It was the main reason I called the convocation..."

Callista clung to Myk, her vision swimming slightly from the lack of oxygen. She sat there on the permacrete, leaning against him as she took slow breaths. She looked to Steffan. "It's strange that we didn't get the message..."

He looked to her, realizing now why there was a degree of the tension related to him. "It was sent to _all_ masters, Callista...."

She shook her head. "We never got it.... odd."

"I think I may know why...." Slowly, he started to get up now.

"I'm pretty sure the NR has a mole in it," Myk-Ron said. "But, we're getting ahead of ourselves." He helped Calli to her feet, then stretched out his hand to Steffan. "We aren't going to let this thing consume us, Cataan will be safe. Our families will be safe."

She shot Steffan a confused look as she made her way to Xan, nodding her thanks to Myk as she pulled him over, too.

Xan spoke up to Arie. "I tried. But you know you and Myk." he grinned a bit. "You're more stubborn than me." Xan looked at Steffan then to Myk. "It may be worse than that, Rogue...I think we don't know every mole that may exist..."

Myk turned to Xan then. "For what it's worth," He said as he held out his hand. "I'm sorry. You coulda just said, though, you know?"

Xan clasped Myk's forearm with his own hand in Mando fashion. "In my culture, Myk...the fight _is_ the way to say something."

"Me too, Xan," Arie said, as she helped the Mando to his feet. "I didn't mean to ignore you."

Steffan looked to Myk and Xan, starting to piece together some other thoughts that he had picked up during the entire experience. "I think I may know how high up that mole is too, Myk. For the moment, though, I think we need to head inside before Jade and Evelina become more curious."

Xan rubbed his stomach as he walked. "Rogue, I'm sending you the bill for this I hope you know."

Callista grinned slightly and shook her head at Xan's comment.

"Yeah," Myk nodded. "Um...for future reference. Maybe don't surprise me like that? You've got a great right hook, but the rest was kinda just reaction for me."

"Yeah," Arie smirked. "Thoughtless violence is kinda part and parcel with the Corellian/fighter-pilot ego."

Xan just laughed. "Well at least I know I'd rather have my blade beside yours then opposing. But next time I get moody, just crack me one in the jaw, ok?" he smirked before looking at Arie. "But that's the best kind of violence." he joked.

Callista snickered, and ducked her head slightly, casting a sideways glance to Arie as they made their way towards the house.

"You got it," Myk said, rubbing his jaw. "I do hope Jade has an ice pack handy though."

"I was wondering how long the five if you were going to stay out there," Jade said as they walked into the house. "I was...." She caught the look in Steffan's eyes. "What happened?"

"Want me to take a look, Myk...?" Callista asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I'll tell you later on," Steffan answered. "Better pull an icepack out of the freeze for Myk if Calli said he needs it."

"He's just being a baby," Arie said, grinning at Calli.

"I am not!" Myk protested. "My jaw is clicking. Listen!" And, he made a chewing motion and leaned closer to Arie.

"I'd better go and kiss up to Strillbait. She's probably ready to send me into orbit, sans armor."

Arie shoved the Rogue away, playfully, and looked to Xan, "You be nice to her. She really looks up to you, ya know?"

Callista smirked a little and went to look him over, _tsk_ 'ing at the purpling bruise that was starting to blossom across Myk's jaw. "I can get it back into place." She looked sideways at Xan. "Hell of a right hook; you dislocated his jaw..."

Xan just shrugged. "I was hoping to knock him out." He then looked to Arie. "Really? She's got good taste." he joked before making his way to Evelina.

"My jaw is disloca-OW!" M _yk yelped as Calli popped his jaw back into place. "Sweet mother of-_!"

Callista grinned and shook her finger at him. "Ah-ah! No complaining."

"I think she's in the kitchen, Xan," Jade called after the Mando. "We were making up some 'flap-jacks' for the Corellian...though whether or not he can eat them will be up to his physicians..."

"I take it all back," Myk said through gritted teeth. "I'm going to kill that _beskar_ -plated bucket of Mando."

"He might have to settle for something softer right now, I think," Steffan said as he handed him a tumbler of whiskey. "This might help some."

Meanwhile, Xan found Evelina watching the goings-on with relish. "You think that's good; you should try my cooking, kiddo." he grinned at the toddler.

"I _knew_ there was a reason I liked you," Myk said to Steffan. "A man after my own heart."

Callista smirked and shrugged. "I'd not recommend any hard foods. It'll be tender for a few days."

Jade shot a look at Xan. "You know, I might just trust you in my kitchen."

" _Xan'ika_!" Evlina cried, then looked to the Mando for confirmation. "Did I say that right?"

Xan grinned at Evelina. "You sure did, Strillbait. Nice to know you've been paying attention." He scooped her up into his arms before giving a mock-offended look to Jade. "You might? Gee Jade, way to wound me. Here I was about to suggest running off with me but you went and did that. Now you got to suffer with Steffan."

She just grinned and turned back to what she was doing. "Oh, whatever will I do?"

" _Eww_ ," Evelina made a face. "Stop being all mushy!" She tapped Xan on the head with her little hand. "You don't feel angry any more, are you done being mad at Mommy and Daddy?"

Xan looked at Evelina and looked sad for a moment. " _Elek_ , kiddo I'm done being angry. Are you angry with me 'cause of that?"

That had gotten Jade's attention and she looked over at her husband again. _'Later, I promise'_ he sent to her over their connection as he poured another tumbler for himself and Xan....they would need it right now.

Myk-Ron grinned from where he sat in the corner of the kitchen, sipping his whiskey and eying the flap-jacks mournfully. Arie sat next to him, playing with his hair.

"I wasn't angry, _Xan'ika_ ," Evelina said. "I was sad. I don't want you and Mommy and Daddy to fight. But," Evelina said with a mischievous look in her eye. "If you hurt my Mommy, I would have beaten you up."

Callista gently took Myk's jaw in her fingers and looked at him. "You'll be fine, it'll just be sore for a while." With a devilish grin, she swiped one of the flapjacks for herself, before going to look for something stronger than _behot_.

"Like I said," Arie grabbed some flap-jacks for herself. "He's just being a big baby. Aren't you sweety?" She gently patted Myk's cheek, to which the Rogue's eyes grew wide, and he bit back a groan of pain.

"I love you too, Princess," He ground out.

"I know," Arie smiled as she poured syrup onto the flap-jacks.

"Well, that'll keep him at least a little quieter for a while," Steffan said as he sipped at his tumbler.

Xan looked at Evelina and didn't doubt that one day that would be true. "Now I'm scared. I'll be good to mommy I swear. Even when daddy is being..." he stopped. "Well being like how daddy is."

Callista almost choked on her mug of _behot_ at Steffan's comment. As it was, she dissolved into a coughing fit, waving off the looks of concern.

"He can be so unruly sometimes," Evelina sighed in a very good impression of her mother.

That comment from Evelina almost choked Steffan up and he got up from the table to stand with Jade and swipe a flapjack.

Xan laughed. "Yup, but your mom likes that. " he winked before adding "Umm...you understand when you're older." Xan realized his faux-pas and turned a little red

"Okay, okay," Myk said, raising his hands in defeat. "I surrender. Eat all the flap-jacks, enjoy my misery. I'm going to sit here and drink my breakfast in silence."

"That'll be the day," Arie smirked.

"I see a YT-2000 parked outside," Andrea's voice sounded from around the corner. "I know my Aunt Arie would have let me know when she got here....no matter _how_ much Myk distracts her."

"Andrea!" Cried Evelina, bouncing in Xan's arms.

"And what about me and _Cal'ika_?" Xan said "Or are we just bantha poodoo?"

"Sorry, dear," Arie said, waving. "I was kinda distracted..."

She came around the corner with Ian holding her hand and grinning to the crowd. "Well, Callista is my sister and she _did_ quietly let me know, Xan....and you...you're just another brother."

Xan placed Evelina down so she could run to Andrea before walking back to his wife.

Andrea knelt down for her hug from Evelina and Ian's turn was next.

“I was hoping for 'you're just drop dead gorgeous' but that works." Xan joked.

Myk laughed through the pain. "And that's why people call you, _Your Highness_ , Your Highness," He waved at Andrea from his corner of the kitchen."It's a good thing you have a big kitchen, Karrde. It just barely contains the Mando's ego."

Andrea giggled at that. "Can you top a prince, Xan?"

Callista looked up from her plate of flapjacks, and stood, pushing her chair away from the table as Xan came over. Her left arm settled around his waist as she watched Andrea with the little ones.

Xan counted on his fingers. "Ummm...let me get back to you on that."

Callista grinned at Andrea and winked before kissing Xan gently.

"Speaking of which," Steffan said as he picked up Ian. "I thought Edward was coming with you."

"He had a late meeting with some refugees. They're wanting to see about setting up on a few of our colonies."

Xan blinked and realized that he was badly out of the loop still. "I don't mean to be a huge downer...but apparently I've been less in the know then I thought."

"Evelina," Arie said over the bustle in the kitchen. "Why don't you and Ian go play in the den? The grownups are going to talk about boring grownup stuff."

"Okay, Mommy," she replied, grabbing her stuffed taun-taun. "C'mon, Ian!"

Andrea looked over at Xan after she nodded to Ian that it was okay. "We've been approached by a few groups of refugees from the systems that the Empire has been overrunning hoping to find sanctuary on a few of our colonies. We've been going over ideas and such the last week or so."

That caught Callista's attention. "Do they have any particular ones in mind...?"

Andrea nodded, "One group has...but we haven't given them an answer yet because I haven't discussed it with Marin yet."

" _Wh....what?"_ Callista stuttered in surprise. "Do they know it's inhabited?"

"Does Cataan have the resources to support the numbers coming in?" Arie asked, her tone taking on a more serious note. "It's a big burden to carry, and you do so much for the galaxy already... _spast_ , I wish we owned a planet. Myk-Ron, I want to buy a planet."

Andrea shook her head. "Only a handful knows of their home there. We're considering some other options." Then she looked over at Arie. "We're splitting the load, actually. Several other systems have offered to help in this."

"Sure, dear," Myk said. "Lemme just pull the coin outta the _Firebird_..."

“Only thing left right now is Outer Rim systems and even at that the Hutts are tightening controls in systems they do have."

"Not all of the Outer Rim," Steffan interjected. "We've been able to halt their influence trailward of the Corellian Run...at last that I had heard, at any rate...and that was several days ago. There's another meeting in the grotto I selected later on this evening," Steffan told them.

"We need to get a plan going," Arie said. "But the breakfast table is hardly a place to lay out a galaxy-saving strategy."

"Xan, I know you might not want to go through it again...but I think the High Council and the Masters here need to see what you have shown us,” Steffan looked across the table at Xan.

Xan looked to Steffan and nodded. "I figured as much," before changing tack. "But come on, Arie's right. We should be eating here. Well in Myk's case _drinking_ , but you get the idea."

"It's settled, then," Myk said as his finished his glass. "For now, I need to get the 'Bird unpacked. And, Steffan needs to show me where to put Ryneas' birthday present."


	8. Chapter 8

With breakfast finished, Jade shooed Arie, Xan, and Calli out of the kitchen. Myk and Steffan left to go unload the _Firebird_ , and get things squared away in the guest house. Andrea stayed in the kitchen to help and catch up with her Mom, and Ian and Evelina were busy playing in the den. Arie, Xan, and Calli stepped out onto the porch in the late morning sun.

Xan blinked a little from the sun but smiled somewhat as he stepped onto the deck. "Arie." he said smiling. "You thinking of sending me to the morgue for the stunt?"

"I love this place in the Summer," Arie said as she breathed deep the pine-scented morning air. "Coruscant's my home. I thrive in the duracrete canyons and durasteel jungles, but this...this is just beautiful. Catch me after I've soaked this in for longer than a minute, Xan, and you'll get that fight you've been itching to have."

Xan readied himself but nodded. "This reminds me of the farm I tried to maintain on _Manda'yaim_. The mountains surrounding the fields of blue corn and the vines for the late summer wines the farmers in the area make. But I haven't had much time for peaceful vistas, not my call in life I suppose."

"You wouldn't like it for too long," Arie said with a knowing smile. "Just like I wouldn't, just like Myk wouldn't. Warriors aren't meant to be idle for long. But, it's good to take a step back and breathe it in once in a while. It lets you know what you're fighting for."

It was then that Callista came out onto the porch, cradling another mug of _behot_ in her fingers as she wandered over to Xan and laid her head on his shoulder. She stood with them and watched the sun come up as she turned the vision over in her mind.

Xan looked at his wife. "I'm about to receive my receipt for the landing pad stuff," he said. "But your mom was reminding me about perspective."

She grinned for a moment and looked towards Arie. "Mom's good for that. Perspective is important, especially now."

Arie's grin turned wicked. "I know you've been aching for this," She said to Xan. "But, if it's me you're wanting to fight, we'll do it my way. Steffan has a Master's wheel under the house. No armor, no sidearms. Just you, me, our lightsabers, and our skills."

At that, Callista cast a speculative glance in Myk's direction. _'Could the Master's wheel handle all four of them?'_

"Training sabers, of course," Arie amended as she watched Myk and Steffan out at the landing pad getting the _'Bird_ unloaded. "I don't want to send you back to Calli in pieces."

Xan sighed. " _Itching for_ it is not the phrase I'd use. More like trying to shove a message into you. One that's 48 years overdue." he looked stiff again before responding. "You may be the Phoenix and Myk maybe the Conduit, Arie; but I'm not some pushover recruit straight out of the Coruscanti training pool. "

Callista nodded. "We realize that you want some time to yourselves, but your knowledge and experience is needed, especially now." She looked hard at Myk then, but it softened slightly.

“Nor I," Arie replied. "I was a fighter-pilot once upon a time too, Xan. And a commando. The ego thing gets drilled into you when you're in the military. Nobody is saying you're a pushover, but I'll warn you not to underestimate us either. Together and separately, we've fought and defeated Sith Lords, mad clones, and tyrannical dictators. We've seen a few lifetimes of galaxy-threatening chaos, and pulled through. I understand where you're coming from. It's the disrespect that sets Myk off."

"And I realize that, Callista," Arie nodded. "But, we weren't aware of the situation as Xan saw it. We were working toward fixing things. Now, with some more perspective, we know we have to step back into things more fully."

Xan grinned slightly. "This is why _Mandos_ aren't diplomats. We tend to run our mouths too much." But he sighed, "The Order needs you two. Evelina needs you two. I just feel that what you both were doing was foolish. Not in the smuggling and trying to keep working with the NR but settling for less then what you both are."

"Mandos have something called _briirud akaanire_ , or battle circles. I was hoping if I provoked you to a fight, I could explain this to you while awakening the warrior I saw that I assumed was dormant."

"I tell you what," Arie said. "I'll make you a deal because a bit of my husband's Corellian has rubbed off on me, and that's how they work."

Xan raised an eyebrow. "Go on..."

"You promise that the next time you have something earth-shattering to tell us, you'll do it like you just did; calmly and with respect," She explained. "And, I will fight you in whatever way you wish."

Xan grinned lopsidedly but stuck his hand out. "Deal." And they shook. "But don't expect any of my _vode_ to do the same."

"See," Arie said. "There's a difference. You, I care about. You're married to my daughter. Your _Mando_ brethren? I don't have a problem bashing their skulls in until they learn respect."

"Let me rephrase that," Arie said.

Callista grinned slightly at Arie's comment.

Xan laughed. "No need, General."

"You understand?"

"They'd respect that."

"Ah," Arie smiled warmly. "You're family, Xan. You don't need to attack us to get our attention. Just talk to us. Even Myk will admit from time to time that he actually _likes_ you. But, I didn't say that" She was quick to cover with a laugh.

Xan just chuckled. "I may say the same thing....if you catch me on the right day."

Arie wrapped Callista up in a hug. "And we all love this gorgeous girl here," She smiled. "So we'll always have that in common, at least."

Callista's cheeks flushed slightly, and she leaned her head on Arie's shoulder for a moment. "All of you mean the world to me..."

Xan smirked. "True....but as for the gorgeous part. You may want to clean out some of the young initiates' mouths if you come by the Temple. Seems you're as popular for... _other_ things as you were for your military brilliance." Xan smiled at his wife though.

Arie laughed and even blushed a little. "It's good to know I've still got it," She said. "Though, I think it's about time we focused on what we actually came here for in the first place. We should get our stuff unloaded and unpacked, and see what we can do to get ready for Ryneas' birthday. In the chaos that is to follow, I think we'll all be thankful for the short time we have to celebrate."

Xan nodded. "I still say Jade's going to kill Myk and chase you up the mountains for that gift. I did something sensible and gave him a bankroll."

Callista raised an eyebrow at him. “How much...?"

Xan mumbled something and looked away.

Callista poked him and smiled. " _How_ much, _cyar'ika_? I won't be mad."

Arie actually blushed more and looked away for a moment. "I wanted to give him the money in the form of a trust fund or something," She explained. "Myk kinda...won the decision to give him the bike instead."

Callista chuckled. "While Ryneas is practical, and can certainly make good use of the trust fund, it's always good to have something for fun, too."

"Five-thousand," he answered Callista. "Yeah, yeah....the big, bad _Mando'ad_ is an illusion only I have. Don't say it, _Cal'ika_." He looked at Arie and frowned drawing a conclusion already. "I'm not sure I want to know how he won, either." before laughing.

"Yeah," Arie said, glad to have breezed over having to explain how Myk ‘won’ the decision. "Besides, he'll have more birthdays."

Callista smiled and then hid a grin behind her hand at the feeling she got from Arie. "Why don't we go get settled, and enjoy the time we have?”

It was then Xan heard Jade jabbering at Myk. "Looks like Jade saw the present. so Ryneas will have more birthdays, and Myk _won't_.”

“Aw, _shab_....." Callista muttered.

"I'd better go try to smooth things over," Arie sighed. "I'll see you two later."

* * *

Myk-Ron and Steffan had just finished unpacking the Dinn family's luggage, and the two made their way to the cargo hold of the _Firebird_. Myk had covered the bike with a bit of tarp, and, as he and Steffan stood next to the strapped down speeder, Myk hit the controls to lower the hold onto the landing pad. In the lat morning sun, the tarp glinted, and Myk cast a wink to the Jedi before grabbing the tarp and uncovering the bike with a flourish. Steffan spent several moments looking at it before he started to walk around the bike, checking over every detail that he trained eye could see.

"While I personally don't have an issue here," he said as he looked over the rest of it. "At least you didn't get the fully-powered model. But…Myk, you know she's going to give you a look for this." By 'she', he had meant Jade. "And you know she might ask me to say something about it." He still shook his head and looked over the controls. "How many kilometers on her...or is she fresh from the showroom?"

"Fresh off the factory line, actually," Myk said, getting a surprised look from Steffan and a appreciative nod. "So, you'll have to tell your boy about the warm up period. But, yeah, it's been modified for private use. The gun's been removed to make room for the extra steering vanes, and the engines have a governor on them. You can turn it off, of course...if you're feeling adventurous."

"And, I'm hoping you'll try to get your wife to warm up to the idea," Myk continued as he began to unstrap the bike from the floor grating. "I mean, I had a swoop when I was sixteen, and I'm still alive."

"I was already flying in space by the time I was eighteen and so has he," Steffan told him with a grin. "Actually, Jade may give you some flack, but Andrea will probably get a little more than you will....though I don't know why she'd give either of you too much. There are several times when he’s been behind the controls. Even as Msst, he was co-piloting _White Squall_."

Myk shrugged, "Well, at least there's that." Together the two finished un-strapping the bike, and they pushed it out onto the landing pad.

"Where should we put it? Arie's got a big bow she wants to tie on the front."

"Well...." Steffan thought about it for a moment. "Let put it on the pad elevator." He said as he tapped a control on his wristcomm to start bringing the elevator up. "It can sit on there right next to Andrea's present."

"Andrea's present?" Myk asked as he turned to where the pad had opened itself up.

It took a few minutes for the elevator to come up to the ground level, but Myk could see the top of Andrea's old black XJ-3 starting to show itself as the elevator came up. Steffan looked over to judge his reaction.

"Oh, you're _kidding_!" Myk exclaimed as he pushed the bike to rest next to the slick black XJ. He ran a hand under the fuselage, admiring the fighter from every angle, and feeling that sudden urge to be in the cockpit once more. "I've been so very outdone by your daughter."

"Only reason you got outdone is because she doesn't have time to fly it anymore," Steffan told him with a grin. "The Guard Unit would go ballistic if she tried to climb into the cockpit. She was complaining to me a few weeks ago about it just sitting there. So...I just dropped a subtle hint about what could be done with it." He slapped Myk's shoulder. "Now, aren't you glad you took the guns off the bike?"

Myk-Ron laughed. "Yeah," he shrugged. "He’s got plenty on this baby. You've got one lucky kid, there, Karrde. But, then again, he deserves it. Kid's been through almost as much as we had at his age."

"Worse probably," he said as he ran a hand along the starboard S-foil. "When I was his age, I never would have dreamed going through something like Msst... although I remember Master Legato saying I had my head in the clouds quite a few times when I was his Padawan."

He shook his head as he thought about it. "And...I have the feeling that Msst isn't going to compare to what's awaiting us now."

"Yeah," Myk's hand dropped from the XJ. "What are we going to do, Steffan? What I mean is, we'll fight this thing obviously, but who do we fight, and how much of Xan's vision do we take verbatim? You know as well as I do that visions of the future are seldom what they seem. And, you know your history. You know what happened to the last person that tried to change his nightmares."

"Aye, I think we all do," Steffan said as he rested against the S-foil. "We still don’t know who this new enemy is that is behind there wounds. The Empire is an obvious enough enemy. Cataan has been ramping up our ability to face them as well as producing extra ships for the Republic, but I don't really see how it will help them." He shook his head as he said that last statement. "There are so many problems on that front alone that would require so much attention. This is absolutely nothing like the two-sided fight we had at Endor and Rhen Var. We were, at least, a cohesive fighting force then. This time, the Republic is something completely different. We've gotten divided in more ways that one."

He sighed as he revealed this next tidbit of information. "A grand example...Cataan STC reported a 'sensor glitch' at the edge of their scanning range. The battlegroup that was here at the time couldn't pinpoint it until they called me in. Do you remember those recon mobile suits that Nib Cadre made for Republic Intelligence's Special Ops branch without my knowledge?"

"You mean _officially_?" Myk said with an arched eyebrow. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Unofficially, yeah, I do. And, I remember you being a little hot about the whole situation. Why?”

"Well," Steffan told him. "That was what was at the edge of the system.....using its recon package on our facilities on Catain. Took three of our _H'kana_ -class ships to corner it and 'convince' it to decloak and surrender. And the only reason we hadn't unleashed hell on Maxell yet is because we don't know where the pilot's orders originated. His recon suit bore NR markings and I was able to determine Nib's signature work on the systems." Steffan was so frustrated by the memory that he almost wanted to slam his fist against the fuselage. "The Republic spying on us, of all people! We've been the strongest supporter in these last several years alongside the Mon Calamari and the Wookies and several other species."

"Wonderful," Myk-Ron sighed, still admiring the XJ. "Its times like this I almost wish I hadn't stopped smoking. Arie and I had planned on doing some investigating on our own," Myk-Ron continued. "But, now...You know, things were easier behind the stick in one of these. You put the enemy in your sights, and you pulled the trigger."

"I always thought the same thing," Steffan said as he looked over the mountains behind the X-wing. "When you're facing someone in the cockpit or face to face...you know exactly who you're dealing with. Now, we don't know who our real enemy is...well, one of them, at any rate. We have a whole selection to choose from this time, it seems."

"I imagine this will be discussed in the big council meeting tonight?" Myk asked as he went back to the Firebird to close her up.

Steffan nodded as he stepped away from the elevator and tapped the controls to start lowering it again. "Among other things, yes. We have most everyone here."

"Well," Myk paused over what he was about to say. "What's your stance on us rejoining the Order? You're not gonna make me swear on the Jedi Code, are you? And, I'm sure Arie's going to want in on this thing too."

"Personally, oaths and all aren't going to make much of a difference," Steffan finally said after he thought about it. "You two may have left the Order but in your hearts, you were still Jedi. Nothing changed in that regard. And I can speak for quite a few of the ones that will be there tonight when I say that you two will be welcomed." He traced the _Firebird'_ s fuselage and thought on a different subject. "Myk, you may have been in the loop on a few more things than I have been. Have....you heard anything from Barab I?"

Myk-Ron stopped and faced Steffan. He'd nearly forgotten about Ainar.

"Steffan," He said. "We've been trying to push into that section of Hutt space for months now, and we haven't had any luck. The whole sector is locked down tighter than a Hutt's coinpurse, and our ships are already on the Hutts' most wanted list. I know we need him, but every mode of contact we've tried thus far has had no results. And, yes, we've tried contacting him through the Force."

He nodded softly at this and sighed. "I had thought as much, but I had to ask. I've tried to reach him myself and have gotten no word. I catch myself wondering if one of these wounds we've felt is there..."

"If it is, we'll be heading that way soon," Myk laid a hand on Karrde's shoulder. "We'll find him, Steffan."

"I know what Arie would say about it," he told him. "But I catch myself wondering if I should have let him leave the last time."

"Arie's had a lot of time to think," Myk said. "We all know that Ainar's got to make his own decisions. You couldn't have kept him here if you tried, Steffan."

"Aye," the Jedi said as he watched the elevator close up. "Come on, Xan and the ladies will think I've killed you for Ryneas's new bike or something."

"Wouldn't want that," Myk agreed, rubbing his jaw. "And, besides, we should be getting ready for the party. We can talk about galactic doom during the council meeting."

"True, true," Steffan said as they walked. "I have to get the fire going soon anyway to get enough coals."

"Oh," Myk said, turning back and running up the _Firebird's_ ramp. "I nearly forgot!"

Steffan stared after him for a moment, wondering what had gotten into the Rogue. Then Myk came back down the ramp with a large crate in his arms. The markings on the box read: _Whyren's Reserve 50-Year._ "We brought you some libation," Myk smiled. "I remembered how hard it was to get good Corellian whiskey here."

Steffan looked at the markings and shook his head. "I'm not even going to ask where you found that....no, wait, let me guess...Talon?"

"Actually," Myk frowned. "I haven't heard from your cousin in some time. I'm starting to worry. Nik and Vince managed to find these on a run into Hutt space. Some crime lord's private stash or some such. Cost me a bundle," Myk sighed. "But what are friends for? I keep your liquor cabinet stocked, and you keep inviting me back for barbecues."

Steffan couldn't help but laugh at that. "Well, is there really any place on Coruscant that's going to cook your meal using a hardwood fire?"

Myk thought for a long time as the two walked back toward the house. "Um...no," He finally said. "It's kinda depressing, really."

They walked back inside with the case and Jade looked to see the case. She was shaking her head at it until she saw a keycard in Steffan's hand and took a moment to recognize it.

"Is that..." she started to say. "Steffan, is that a key for what I think it is?"

He moved his head over in Myk's direction.

"What?" Myk shifted the large crate in his arms. "I can't see."

"She saw the key," Steffan warned him.

" _Cal'ika_....you might want to ready your rippers on stun here...." Xan joked.

"Ah, well," Myk laughed. "Can you show me where to put this crate? Kinda heavy. _Then_ your wife can kill us."

Jade looked at Myk and then over at Arie. "What did you two get him? A speeder bike?"

Arie laughed weakly, and cast Jade an apologetic look. "It wasn't my idea," She said. "I wanted to get him a trust fund..."

"Yeah," Myk said, still holding the crate. "’Cause those are real fun. I wasn't kidding about the crate by the way. It's not full of feathers."

"He's eighteen," Steffan told her. "And he's handled that X-wing before..."

"That's an X-wing...he's got room to fly," she started to protest.

"Its fine," Steffan told her as he kept himself between her and Myk. "I checked it out myself and he's a good pilot."

Xan looked at the case "Fifty-year-old water. Just when you think you understand Corellians..." He motioned to Myk that he would grab the case to set it down

" _Water_?" Myk looked shocked as Xan put the crate next to the kitchen counter. "I thought even Mandos knew how to read. That's Whyren's Reserve. Best whiskey this side of the galaxy."

Xan scoffed. "We can read just fine, Myk…just that we have better taste in things." He smirked and saw Arie roll her eyes at him. "What? When he actually tries narcoleth then let's see what he says."

" _Narcoleth_?" Myk arched an eyebrow. "Sounds like it's distilled from blue corn and dirt."

Steffan started heading towards the patio area off from the garden to start the fire. He could at least say he had enough wisdom to not get into an argument over liquor between a Corellian and a Mandalorian.

He walked out through the kitchen’s back door and onto the backside of the deck that was on that side of the house. He looked over the mountains again, Xan’s vision coming to mind once more as he walked down to the stone slabs that made the patio area of the family’s garden.

In the center of the area was a sunken fire pit with a steel mesh plate two feet above the ground that was mounted to a pole so it could be swung out from over the fire. A stack of firewood was already in place in the pit with all the kindling and tinder needed to get it started and Steffan moved the grill plate away as he started to strike a match and laid it next to the tinder and saw the material start to catch flame immediately.

In a moment, the kindling would catch and before long, the longer pieces of fuel that were stacked in a box around the stand of kindling would also begin to burn. To the side were more trimmed pieces of fuel to add to it and get enough heat going to cook what meat and vegetables he and Jade had prepared and were waiting.

Steffan stood back as the fire picked up and began to burn well. He caught himself looking up again and could start to see a few stars beginning to appear in the afternoon sky. So many times, he looked up there with his children and with his grandchild now, telling them of all sorts of adventures that occurred out there. He didn’t tell them much of the dangers that were out there, but they had seen them first hand these last several years and knew now how he had felt…wanting to keep those dangers away from their home.

Yet…there was a grand new danger lurking and making its self known now. And it was one that could possibly destroy all he and his friends and family held dear.

 _'Not while I am here to stop it,'_ he thought to himself…actually making himself an oath… _'not while there is still breath in my body.'_


	9. Chapter 9

Myk had opened and unpacked the crate of whiskey into the Karrdes' liquor cabinet, all the while arguing with Xan over the finer points of alcoholic beverages. In the end, Myk just threw up his arms in frustration, grabbed a tumbler of whiskey for himself and retreated to the den where Evelina and Ian were watching a kid's holovid.

He plopped down into the over-sized armchair and kicked his feet up on the low table in front of him. The laughter in the kitchen was a welcome sound. The footsteps coming his way made him grin even more. "Something on your mind, Calli?" Myk asked.

Callista found him there a few minutes later, a glass of _Netra'gal_ in her hands as she moved into the room. Myk sat in the large easy chair, with Evelina in his lap. She smiled a little at his question. "I wanted to ask you something..." she said quietly, after staring into her glass for a moment. She wasn't normally this quiet, but the vision of Xan's had shaken her. She moved across the room and sat carefully on the arm of his chair, sipping her _Netra’gal_ for a moment.

Myk-Ron looked up at Callista, and smiled. "Hey, Calli," He said. "It's _me_. You can ask me anything."

That got a smile out of her. Lowering her glass, she looked over at him. "I.... well." She stopped and grinned a little. "The original plan of Xan's was for me to take you on... but things worked out a little differently. I'm still a bit wound up from that vision." She reached up to tuck a few loose strands of hair behind her left ear. "Would you be up for a sparring match?"

"Want a shot at the title, huh?" Myk asked with a smirk. "Or are you more interested in learning?"

She laughed lightly. "I've no interest in titles, Myk. I want to learn. Studying with Steffan after Rhen Var taught me a lot.... but I know there's more to learn. Especially now."

"No worries, Kiddo," Myk-Ron said, sipping at his whiskey. "Tomorrow morning, meet me in the mountains. There's a clearing in the hills just above the treeline on the north side of the estate. Bring whatever you want, but make sure you bring an open mind."

She grinned. "I know the place." Taking a moment to drain her glass, she smiled at his last comment. "That you can be sure of."

The Rogue looked to his other daughter then, sitting on the floor with Ian and her stuffed taun-taun. They were watching a children's holovid about Ewoks. "I don't want this for her," he said, mostly to himself. "I don't want this for you," He looked back to Callista. "War is all I've ever known, and I'm good at it...but..." his voice trailed off.

She squeezed his shoulder gently. "None of us want this, Myk. Something has to give. But we have to end this, somehow." _'Or it will end us all...'_ she finished silently, shielding the thought carefully.

"I know, dear-heart," The Rogue shook his head, bringing his thoughts back to the now. "Get something in my cross-hairs, and I'll be happy as a hawkbat on a Coruscant thermal. I just wish I could find the cause of this and take care of it...without getting you kids involved. Outside of that though," The Rogue continued. "I suppose the best I can do is teach you everything I know, and hope it's enough."

Her lips quirked briefly, and she wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "I wish finding the source was that simple. But it's not. And that means we all have to work together. That's part of what Xan was trying to tell you..." She smiled.

Myk sobered a bit. "For what it's worth," he said, "I'm sorry things got as heated as they did. That being said, don't think he's not at fault. I get the whole _Mando_ attitude thing, but even _Mandos_ can show respect. Insulting me won't get you much. Insulting my wife will get you laid out. And, don't think you're entirely off the hook either, young lady. All of this could have been avoided by just talking to us. I'm still kinda hurt that you thought we wouldn't listen. But, it's water under the bridge now," Myk looked back to Evelina. "Just, don't think you can't talk to me or Arie, okay? We adopted you," He said. "We'll always be there for you."

Callista opened her mouth to reply, but then closed it, fidgeting with the hem of her sleeve. She nodded. “I know. It was just really hard to make sense of the signals we were getting. Council meetings without us knowing... things like that." Sighing, she leaned over to hug him. “I'm sorry, we really should have done more to get in touch."

Myk returned the hug. "Don't worry about it, Calli," He assured her. "We're not entirely without fault on our end, either. But, for our part, I promise we'll try to keep more in touch with you kids. Course," He added. "Way things are shaping up, you may not be getting rid of us any time soon."

Evelina perked up at that. "You mean we get to stay on Cataan for longer?" She asked, beaming.

"Maybe, Princess," Myk nodded. "We'll just have to see."

She chuckled a little. "Myk, I'm twenty-eight years old. I'm not exactly a kid anymore." She cocked an eyebrow. "How do you mean?" _'Something go down on your last mission?'_ she asked the last silently.

‘ _Aside from Maxell letting me know he's up to something, no,’_ Myk sent back _. ‘I'm talking about the Council meeting tonight, and what's to come. You think your Mom and I are going to be going anywhere any time soon?’_

"Oh," Myk said aloud. "I suppose I didn't tell you yet. Arie and I are rejoining the Order. We're getting to the bottom of this mess, and we're going to see to it that Xan's vision becomes nothing more than a bad dream."

Callista nodded. “I'm not surprised. Honestly, that’s what we'd hoped you'd do. I really didn't want to force you to, but we had to do something. We really need to figure out what's going on here.”

"Yeah," Myk yawned and stretched in the chair. "But, we can sort all that out later. Right now, I just want to enjoy my whiskey, the company of my daughters, and this holovid about Ewoks. Seriously," He winked at Calli. "The fat one's hilarious."

Callista chuckled lightly and moved to sit next to him, pulling Evelina onto her lap as she turned her attention to the holovid for a moment.

"See," Myk whispered. "I'm going to share a secret with you for when your mother and I are gone, and you're left to fill our boots. You have to take moments like this, and hold on to them with everything you have."

She nodded silently and slipped her hand into his. "Sometimes, that's all that keeps you going, isn't it...?" she asked softly.

He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Truer words never were spoken," He nodded.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those wondering how Callista can call both the Karrdes and the Dinns her parents, here is a little explanation. The Dinn and Karrde families are already close. With Callista's Master being killed in _**Reflections of a Padawan**_ , Steffan had taken over some of her training... and had taken her under his wing. On the day of Callista's marriage to Xan, he unofficially adopted her into his family. Myk and Arie also adopted her, making them her official guardians. If memory serves, both those events occur in _**To All Things; An End, though**_ I can't recall exact chapters.

_Ryneas’ birthday party went over well,_ Myk thought. Eighteen wasn’t technically childhood by most standards of sentient beings, but, like most of the people attending, the kid was forced to grow up fast. It was good to see the child-like joy in Ryneas’ eyes at the site of the speeder-bike. Myk-Ron firmly believed that growing up didn’t necessarily mean giving up on toys, it just meant that the toys got bigger and more expensive.

The meal Steffan and Jade prepared was fantastic. There was something to cooking meat over a wood fire that set Myk’s mouth to salivating. Being summer on that part of the world, the whole gang gathered around a very large table outside on the lawn. The kids ran through the warm grass, and chased each other amidst the mingling adults. For a few hours, the troubles of the galaxy seemed far away and inconsequential. The sound of laughter joined the buzzing flitnats and a steady lake breeze on the air.

However, like all good things, the party had to end sometime. The sun was beginning to set when Steffan called the kids to start cleaning up. Surreptitiously, the Jedi went to each of the adults there that would be called to the meeting of the Council. He found Arie and Myk near the cake table. Myk was just helping himself to another piece as Arie looked off to where Evelina and the younger children were playing.

“We’ll be holding the meeting in two hours,” Steffan informed them. “Though, I need to see the two of you in my study about an hour before so we can get some administrative stuff out of the way. We just need your signature, Arie, to reactivate your status on the Council. However, since Myk-Ron’s last time participating in Council business was somewhere along the lines of fifty years ago, we’re going to have to fill out a whole new profile for him. Luckily, when Master Skywalker granted our…ravenous Rogue,” Steffan arched an eyebrow at Myk as the Corellian continued to stuff cake into his mouth. Myk just shrugged, and Steffan continued. “Granted him his Masterhood, Tionne had already set up the filing systems. So that won’t be an issue. Still, it will take just a little while to move him back to the ‘active’ list.”

“Mmmph, mmmph mmmphhhhh mmph mmmph,” Myk said around a mouthful of food, as he rolled his eyes.

“What my husband is _trying_ to say,” Arie cast Steffan an exasperated look as she elbowed Myk-Ron in the ribs. “Is that we’ll be there, Steffan. We’ll ask Jade if she can keep an eye on Evelina for us.”

“I’m sure she’ll be delighted,” Steffan chuckled as Myk stared daggers at his wife and continued to eat. With a shrug, the Jedi nodded a salute to each of them and went to find Callista and Xan.

“Really, Myk,” Arie sighed. “Am I married to a five-year-old?”

Myk-Ron smiled. “What?” He shrugged. “The cake’s _really_ good.”

Arie shook her head. “I wish I had your uncanny ability to just shut off your worry at the drop of a hat,” She leaned on the Rogue’s shoulder, and watched as Evelina went around introducing everyone to her stuffed taun-taun. “I’m scared, Rogue. Suddenly, the Empire is acting…Imperial again, and doing an amazing job I might add. The Hutts are expanding their influence like mad. And, there are wounds in the Force popping up around the galaxy. Knights are disappearing faster than students can be trained. Then there’s Xan’s vision…how can you be so relaxed?”

“I’m lying, Princess,” Myk said, and his voice had grown suddenly weary.

Arie turned to see the Rogue’s eyes had grown cold, and he radiated anxiety in the Force. She shuddered at the overwhelming feelings of anxiousness, determination, frustration, and anger flowing from Myk-Ron like a wave. Just as quickly as it came, however, it was gone, and her husband’s face didn’t seem to have as many lines in it.

“I trick myself,” He explained, as he forked the last bite of cake into his mouth. “I make myself forget everything but what is happening right now, and I focus on the things that make me happy. I pretend that the rest of the galaxy doesn’t exist, and I convince myself that everything is okay. I lie to myself.”

He shrugged then, “It makes it easier to hide what’s really going on inside; easier to keep my feelings unnoticed and undetectable through the Force. If I can convince myself that I’m happy, everyone else will assume that I am.”

“Myk-Ron,” Arie put a hand to his cheek. “That’s…that’s…you’re doing that so I don’t worry more than I already am, aren’t you?”

“A little,” the Rogue grinned. “But, it’s okay, Princess. You’re thinking that you want to help me with my worries. You already do. The biggest key to convincing myself that I’m happy is focusing on what makes me happy. Sweetheart, you and Evelina make me happier than anybody has any right to be. So, convincing myself isn’t really that hard.”

“Oh, Rogue,” Arie smiled. “When did you get so… _smart_?”

“Oh,” Myk shrugged. “I have my moments.”

“That, you do,” Arie kissed him on the cheek, but lingered near his neck, her lips barely touching his skin as she spoke. “You know what helps me take my mind off things?”

“I'm getting an idea,” The Rogue gulped. “And, I really hope I’m right.”

Arie wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed herself against him, lightly flicking her tongue along his jawline. “I’m going to see if Jade will watch Evelina, then you and I are heading to our quarters on the ‘ _Bird_ where you can help me relax.”

Myk could feel the heat spreading through his body from her touch, and he smiled broadly. “Absolutely,” He said as she turned to find Jade. He made sure no one was looking, and gave her a quick slap on the backside as she walked away. “Hurry up,” He teased as he looked at his chrono. “We’ve only got forty-five minutes.”

She smiled at him over her shoulder as she walked away, and the look she gave him could have melted the ice caps on Hoth. Hastily, Myk threw away the disposable plate and fork he had been using and headed for the _Firebird_.

* * *

Jade walked over to where Steffan was finishing up his plate and casually sat down next to him where she could help with keeping an eye on Evelina and Ian.

“So tell me, Master Jedi,” she said playfully to him. “I have been wondering something for a while now and I think you can help me with it.”

“Oh, I can, mi’lady,” Steffan replied with a smile on his face. He was getting an idea of what was fixing to be heading his way.

“Yes you can,” she said as she kissed his cheek for a moment. “How _did_ Andrea come to the decision to give her X-wing to her little brother as a present…knowing what I know of how much she had enjoyed it since you gave it to her?”

“An interesting question,” Steffan said as he joking rubbed his chin in thought. “How do you know she didn’t decide to do it on her own?”

The look Jade gave him was enough to tell him that the jig was up and he was caught in his part of that particular present. “My love, you may be able to keep secrets from most people in this entire galaxy, but having known you and loved you most of my life…” She playfully traced his cheek. “You can’t keep anything from me. And I know how old our son is, and I’ll be okay with him having the bike and the fighter.” She leaned against him and traced his hand with her fingers. “At least he is able to fly it without incurring gossip from some of the nobility. Half the things I hear being said about Andrea sometimes almost make me want to ask you to issue challenges.”

“No talk of that tonight,” Steffan said as he looped his arm around her. “Just enjoy the kids running around for a while.”

She heard the way he had said that and looked up at him. “I know that there is another meeting tonight. With Myk and Arie there along with Xan and Callista, I can tell the tone will be different. Steffan…what happened at the landing pad earlier?”

He sighed heavily for a minute, knowing that he was going to have to relay this at some point. Inwardly, he had hoped to not talk about it now, but he wouldn’t hide this from her and so he leaned over to whisper it in her ear. Her eyes widened and she had held her breath for a long moment before she looked at him with concern in her eyes.

“Master Yoda had said that the future was always in motion,” Steffan told her. “There’s no real sign that it could happen, but nothing that could say it couldn’t.”

“Can it be stopped?”

“I know it can,” he said truthfully. “How and at what cost, though…I don’t know.”

He looked at his chrono for a moment. “I suppose I need to pull up the files I need in my study before Myk and Arie decide to come out of the _Firebird_.”

“It may be a little while,” Jade said, holding back a laugh at the thought. “If I hadn’t known better, I could’ve sworn I saw the Firebird swaying on its landing shocks earlier.”

Steffan almost choked up on the drink he had taken when she said that. “I’m sure it was just an illusion, hon.”

“Uh huh,” Jade said with a laugh as they got up, her heading towards the children and him heading for his study inside the house to pull up the files. He had everything set and ready as Myk and Arie came into the study. Steffan looked up at them and chuckled again.

“What?” Arie asked with an innocent look on her face.

“You’re hair is still messed up,” Steffan said as he put down a datapad for each of them. “Here’s the bit we needed that signature on. We’ll probably head up towards the grotto in a little bit.”

Arie tried to casually move a few strands of hair behind her ear as she looked over the two notes and nodded while trying to keep from blushing as she signed hers.

Myk came over with a grin and looked at his. “Well, Steffan, sometimes you just can’t fight the…”

“I…..don’t need to know about it,” the Jedi broke in with a laugh as Myk was putting his signature on the datapad.

“Where exactly is this place, anyway?” Myk asked as he set it down.

“Just a nice quite spot I picked out…”

* * *

It was an hour later as Steffan walked into the grove with the others behind him. Dilan was waiting for them this time and had already set up and lit the fire that would give them some light as Steffan and a few others started to take a seat among the different stones and trees. Once all the masters and council members were there, Steffan stood and called the meeting to order.

_Now, the challenge would really begin…_

"I must say, I'm glad to see the four of you here now," Streen said with a chuckle from where he was sitting against a tree.

"You know how we are," Myk said as he sat down next to Steffan. "We just can't stay out of things."

"As as we each wish we could in our own way," the older Jedi replied with a knowing nod and looked to Arie. "And looking just as pretty as ever."

Arie had to laugh as she sat down next to Myk. "You always knew how to be charming, Streen."

Steffan grinned and enjoyed the fact that there was a genuine camaraderie that had remained for most of them over time. "I should say that Myk-Ron and Arie have rejoined our ranks as masters this evening and I, for one, am very grateful for it."

" _Full_ masters?" Waln Cartega asked. The statement instantly caught his attention and Arie turned around to look at him.

"Yes, they are," Steffan said before Arie could say anything. From the moment they had met years ago, Arie and Waln had rocky time together...and Steffan thought that was putting it mildly at the time. Thankfully, time and experienced mellowed Cartega.

"I don't think any of us can deny the power and abilities they have shown," Relan said as he laid a calming hand on Waln's shoulder before taking a seat on one of the stones around the fire. "And I, for one, won't deny them the respect they've earned."

"You'll have to forgive me," Waln told them. "I didn't mean anything negative about it." He smiled and nodded to Arie, wanting it known that whatever differences they had were buried now.

It was Kai Qon Dei that brought everything to order with what he had to say.

"I have pondered and meditated on what we discussed last night," he said as he looked to all of the council members and all the masters that were present. "I must agree with what Master Chris-tien and Steffan have said. The resurgence of the Empire is a major threat, but I truly believe now that our main concern as an order must be on these increasing numbers of wounds in the Force."

Steffan nodded and took the cue. "Kai, I feel that this situation may be worse than we first believed."

That got Chris-tien's attention and she looked up from where she had been pondering her own thoughts. "What do you mean, Steffan?"He gestured over to where Xan and Callista were sitting close to Arie and Myk. "Master Qenadius has shared a...series of visions...that he has been experiencing over the last while. To say that it was disturbing would be a gross understatement. “Xan," he started to ask as he looked to the Mando, "I would like you to share what you showed me to everyone here. I know it may be difficult, but they all need to hear...or see...this."


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _Ni ceta_ \- I'm sorry  
>  _Nayc_ – no  
>  _Buir_ \- father  
>  _Elek_ \- yes

**Cataan - Royal Palace - two days before Ryneas' party**

Andrea looked up at the sound of a soft rapping on the old wooden door of the study she was in. She had been sitting at a fireplace in the room that had a small fire going, a book in her hands that she was using for a journal and was writing a few lines of her personal thoughts of events in. "Come in," she said as she turned her head to see who would be coming through.

Taking a deep breath, Marin pushed the door open. The hinges creaked in protest as the door moved. Andrea had summoned her following another lesson. She was still fussing slightly with her fresh tunic as she pushed the door closed behind her. The air carried the comforting scent of smoldering wood as Marin slowly made her way to the empty chair next to the fire.

“Marin," Andrea said with a smile and closed her book. "Sorry to have to call you here so soon after the day's training...especially with Ryneas's party tomorrow."

A faint frown crossed Marin's face for a moment, and she looked across at her teacher. She was really looking forward to it. He'd made sure to include everyone, and it would give the students a break from their studies. "I'm looking forward to it, Andrea. But, what's this about...?" her tone was slightly confused.

"There been a group from Telos, agricultural combine people, mostly," Andrea told her. "They were exploring some of the our worlds at Tanagis...including the forest moon your home is on."

That got her attention. "When was this...? Did they find...?"

Andrea held up a hand. "No, they didn't find the house when they passed over the moon a few days ago. I had the minister that talked with them to not give them an answer yet until I talked to you and got your thoughts."

Marin bit her lip. "I...." She sighed. "I don't know."

"That is why I thought we need to talk it out," her teacher said as she gestured to the chair again.

"Please...if we take a while, you're not going to want to stand the entire time."

With a sigh, Marin sank into the chair. "Do you have some tea...?" she asked softly, nervously smoothing her tunic again.

Andrea motioned to where she had a tray brought in, sitting on a low table now, and she poured them both a cup and handed Marin hers. "There are several areas in that system that would suit their farming needs, but they had mentioned the forest moon that you call home first."

She nodded her thanks as she took the cup and cradled it for a moment before she took a sip. "Did they say why?"

Andrea nodded softly. "Something about a soil check they did was better for the crop they usually grow. They had spoken of needing to clear an area for their homes and to plant and using the timber they fell for those homes. Wouldn't take anything away and would use as much of the natural materials instead of artificial as they possibly could. That part had really gotten my attention and surprised that they would respect the land that way."

"That _is_ unusual." Marin frowned again. She had to admit, she was feeling.... rather ... _selfish_ about it. And that surprised her a little. That realization caused her to shift uncomfortably.

"I had a team check the locations they tested as well after they had presented their request. There's another that checked out very closely to your home. I have been considering the situation since the minister brought it to me but I feel that this is just as much your decision to make with me. Maybe some limitations on how far they would be able to go," she continued. "Things of that nature. That's why I needed you to come."

Marin was silent for a long moment as she pondered that. Another sip of her _behot_ helped soothe her nerves. "I hadn't even considered the possibility. How would we enforce such restrictions?" She frowned slightly and fussed with her braid for a moment.

"I do not think it will be a concern," Andrea told her. "At least, I felt no sense of ulterior motive in the ones that arrived other than that they wanted to settle and finally have something close to a permanent home. Of course, the sadness of having to leave the world they called home is shared by many right now."

"I can identify with that..." she said softly, thinking back to when Jarius had found her all those years ago. She sighed again. "I can't deny them that..." she finished after a moment. "It's just..." She sighed, at a loss for words to explain her feelings.

"They said they didn't need an immediate decision," her teacher told her as she took a drink of her tea. "They're staying onboard their ships right now at Kingston port. And we don't need to make a decision tonight...in fact, it wouldn't be a wise thought. Perhaps meditate on it during your studies and let the Force guide the choice."

" _Elek_.... " Marin said with a nod as she sat back and sipped at her tea. "I guess I never really thought about it... and it's a big part of what I have that reminds me of _buir_..." she finished softly as she stared into the fire.

"I'm just thinking out loud," Andrea said as she sat there and looked at the edges of the fireplace...but never into it..."If I remember correctly, having never seen it, the house in the inside part of a mountain in a foothill area. Being farmers, that kind of terrain will not suit them at all."

Marin smiled slightly at that. " _Elek_ , mountains and heavily forested."

Andrea shrugged slightly and took another drink of her tea and decided to change the subject. "With Ethan, Xan, and Callista here...and with talk of more trouble brewing with Death Watch...I suppose that you are going to want to travel with them if they allow it."

She perked up. "More trouble?"

Andrea looked to her. "They hadn't told you of Death Watch being more direct in their movements now?"

Marin shook her head. "No, I wasn't told. Last I heard, they'd been run off Galan after what we found there. They've been trying to push into the system again?"

"Not into Galan, no," Andrea said as she thought about it. "I only know bits and pieces. Perhaps Ethan, Xan, or Callista would be a better source for you to ask of." She looked at the fire beginning to die down and looked at the clock that was above the mantle. It was getting later on in the evening.

"I'll do that..." Marin replied with a nod as she drained her tea mug.

* * *

**Cataan Royal Palace - Edmonton - the morning of Ryneas' party**

Marin did her best to straighten her skirt better after the sudden ride from the praxeum to the castle. The message that Andrea needed her presence there came during the middle of a training exercise that she was going through and she had rushed through cleaning up from the day’s workouts before riding out.

One of the stewards was leading her down the outer corridor. She looked around and knew that the area she was being led to had several chambers that were used for different diplomatic meetings and functions. Coming around a corner, Andrea was waiting outside a set of closed doors and looked up as she saw Marin approaching.

“Marin,” she said as she watched her padawan come down the hall towards her, “I’m sorry I wasn’t there this morning for our normal training and for having to pull you from what you were working on, but this is important."

Marin frowned briefly and tucked her padawan braid behind her ear. "What's this about, Master..?" she asked formally, conscious of her surroundings. It still felt strange having to choose the form of address. Marin could understand calling Andrea 'Master', but she was never sure when she should address her teacher as 'Your highness'. She wore a tunic and skirt in the praxeum's colors. Her dark hair was braided down her back, save the padawan braid, and the saber rested on her belt.

Andrea looked down the corridor. "Do you remember the conversation we had a few days ago?"

"I do...." Marin said softly after a moment.

She motioned to a set of doors down the hall. "The minister is meeting with the delegation that had talked about settling in the Tanagis system. I've talked with them this morning and we've discussed several things, but I feel that maybe it would be a good idea for you to join us."

Marin raised an eyebrow. "What exactly was discussed? Would they be given a portion of the planet?" she sighed, and leaned against the wall for a moment, rubbing the back of her neck before she fingered Jarius' tags that were ever-present around her neck. It was a habit she'd picked up years ago when she was nervous or worried about something.

Andrea turned and looked at her and was judging her reactions in her mind now. "Don't be quick to jump to assumptions and conclusions, Marin," she said to her softly.

Marin flushed. " _Ni... ceta_..." she said softly, looking away for a moment. She hadn't realized how deeply she'd connected with her home. Chewing her lip nervously, Marin tried to bring her emotions under control. When Andrea had brought it up a couple of days ago, she'd not been very concerned. _But now...._ She sighed, and closed her eyes for a moment.

Andrea felt this and walked a little closer. "Have you tried to meditate on it as I suggested?"

Marin nodded silently. "I have. It's hard to let go. Home, and the praxeum are all I've known for… eight years. I want to help. I really do. I just don't know how to let go..."

"This isn't about 'letting go' of your home," Andrea told her as she laid a hand on her student's shoulder. "You remember what I had told you about options, where your land there wouldn't be infringed upon."

Marin nodded. "I remember." She frowned slightly. "How could that be enforced though?"

"That's what has been talked over this morning," Andrea said, gesturing Marin to follow her. "I've expressed your concern to the ones that are representing the group and options have been talked about in-depth. I've been impressed by their reactions and discussion and I've probed them in the Force and I believe they can be trusted."

"Alright..." Marin allowed after a moment's thought as she smoothed her skirt and tunic again, just as they stopped in front of the doors that led to the meeting chamber. She looked sideways at Andrea. "Would it be better if I referred to you as 'Your highness' or 'Master', Master?" Her question was quiet.

Andrea smiled at this and gave Marin a wink. "They know that you are my student, so 'master' will work for this case."

There was a barely audible sigh of relief, followed by a small grin from Marin as she caught Andrea's wink. She was still smiling slightly as the doors opened. She spent the few moments it took to enter to calm herself and focus on the matter at hand. Her thoughts went briefly to Jarod before she pulled her attention back to the present.

"Minister," Andrea said as they entered the room. The others had all stood as they entered and bowed. She returned it slightly and motioned to Marin and introduced her to the group. Upon hearing it, there was one of the delegation that came forward and bowed again to Marin.

"We've been told about the circumstances with our request to settled on the moon where your home is," he told her. "I hope that you would join us and hear what we have discussed."

Marin's cheeks pinked slightly, and she took a slow breath, resisting the urge to look towards Andrea. She knew it was generally impolite to probe people without their consent, but she had to know. She laid her fingers gently on his arm, the contact sending a jolt up her arm as she got a sense of him. She could have probed him in the Force without touching him, but something told her physical contact would be better.

She breathed slowly, sensing the man's emotions. There was sadness there - the loss of his home, and of his hearing about her loss. But there was hope too. She probed a little deeper but felt no deceit, and so she withdrew as delicately as she could from his mind. "I would like to hear your thoughts, and what has been discussed," she said finally.

He smiled as Andrea gestured for all of them to sit down. The delegate nodded to his assistant, who pulled up a small holoprojection of the moon from the survey they had made.

"Her highness, your teacher, did not tell us of your home's location since she does not know it and we respect the concern there," the delegate said as he highlighted the northern hemisphere. "She did say it was on the northern part of the moon. With all of the mountains there, it’s not an area that we would want to work in. The southern half, though, has several areas that are large and flat enough where we could build there and begin our agriculture projects again." He turned to look at Marin. "We had looked at several areas, but with the crop seeds that we were growing for export, the soil content here was the closest match that would give us our best chances for a high yield."

"Your teacher mentioned to us of your concerns of needing to enforce any conditions," his assistant said as he leaned forward and shut down the hologram. "We have told her and the minister that we are perfectly willing to be a protectorate of the Cataani forces. Another colony, if you will, and we will be fully submissive to your laws here. This would be true anywhere we settle, but we wanted you to know this here to know that we are sincere in our respect for your home."

Andrea was nodding, having heard it earlier in the day, and looked to Marin and was wondering how her Padawan was taking this.

Marin sat quietly, taking it all in, as she scanned the room, again getting a sense of the delegates. They were sincere. It surprised her a little bit, but she shrugged it off. Her forehead creased slightly in a frown. "You'll be growing crops. How will you bring in the needed machinery - unless you have it with you?" she asked with a slightly raised eyebrow.

"The equipment we use isn't massive in size," the lead delegate answered for them. "We were able to load most of what we needed onto a _Galloway_ freighter...our equipment for raising the crops as well as what we could need to cut and process the timber there for our homes and support buildings."

Another assistant wanted to add more to this. "When we've cleared an area for our production, we've always been taught to use what we've cleared and not waste anything if it can be done. All the timber that we would cut would be used and not just thrown away."

That got Marin to smile a little, and she nodded, sharing a look with Andrea for a moment. "That is good. The Cataani people take great care to respect their natural surroundings. I'm glad you will too." She fell silent for a moment as she thought again. This time she turned to the minister. “Minister... as Tanagis is an outlying colony of the Cataan system, would it fall under the protection of the Cataani Navy?"

"Without question," the minister told her. "Our other colonies on the inner planets of the Tanagis system...the entire system as a whole...is under the protection of the Fifth Battlegroup. The moon we're talking here would be protected."

"Thank you, Minister," Marin said politely. She thought some more, this time with a glance towards both Andrea and the Minister, before looking to the delegates. "Would it be permissible to help the colonists set up some basic security? We'd need a way to reach the Fifth battlegroup at need, as well…" She hoped she wasn't overstepping her place with that question.

"We've agreed to set some area aside should the need arise to house armed personnel," the head delegate said as he looked to the minister. "Along with this, we will have a communications relay that would allow us to contact for help at any time."

"Thank you." Marin said with a nod, and a look to the minister. That answered all the questions she had at the moment.

Andrea looked over at her. "Would you like some more time to meditate on it?"

Marin turned to look at her. " _Nayc_ , Master. I don't feel a need to." She didn't even blink at mixing languages now, but she saw a few of the delegates look at each other.

"Do you wish us to wait outside for a moment, then?" the delegate asked her, wondering what was to happen next.

Marin shook her head. "There's no need. I've made my decision."

"And that is, mi'lady?" This came from the minister himself.

Marin blushed slightly at the honorific but composed herself. "I accept." She said firmly, looking squarely at the head delegate as she said so.

The delegates all looked to each other with smiles and handshakes of gladness now as they got up to thank her for her decision. Andrea smiled from where she sat for a moment before she stood up. "Now that the hard part is over," she said with a soft chuckle. "I'm sure it won't be difficult to finish out the details with the minister. If you could excuse us, please." She motioned to Marin for them to exit the room now.

Marin bowed politely, and then followed Andrea from the room, breathing a sigh of relief as they got out in the hallway.

"I knew how hard that was for you to struggle with at first," she said after they were in the corridor and the doors had closed behind them. "I think it was a good decision."

"It felt... _right_. I didn't feel any deceit from any of them." She blushed slightly at having scanned the man without permission.

Andrea nodded at both what she said and the feeling that was inside. "Sometimes, it's necessary to do something like that. Openly asking permission may be more harmful."

Marin nodded. "I had to know for myself. "

"Something my father heard one time from a friend," Andrea told her. _"‘Its always easier to ask forgiveness than permission’_. "

Marin nodded, and turned to walk with Andrea as they made their way down the hall away from the meeting chamber. She was silent for a long moment. "So, what happens now? Any new reports on Death Watch?"

"Nothing that I have heard, per se. That would probably be a question left up to Ethan to answer, if not Xan or Callista."

Marin frowned slightly. "Aren't they in Council? I heard Dilan say something about it yesterday. I wouldn't want to intrude..."

"I would probably see about giving them a message that you're wanting to know about the Death watch."

She nodded. "I'll see about getting a message to them." She thought briefly of Ethan, a faint smile touching her lips. He was a rough man, but she knew that deep down, he did care for her. "Ethan messaged me earlier. He said he should be in-system in a few hours. Something about a message he got from Xan's padawan, Sharon…"

"Who knows of his showing up?" Andrea asked her. "Because I doubt he's been told of the convocation."

Marin frowned as she tried to remember. "From what he told me, Sharon had sent him a message saying that Xan wanted to speak to him while they were on Cataan. He didn't mention the convocation at all. Xan knows he's coming. I can pass the word along." She frowned again, surprised that Ethan hadn't mentioned having told Master Karrde.

Andrea nodded and closed her eyes for a moment as they walked. "I just let father know that he'll be here. I think he was only semi-surprised at the news."

Marin couldn't resist shaking her head. "Ethan's not exactly subtle at times..." She looked to Andrea. "If Death Watch is going active again, he'll want to help... as will I."

"I'm sure they would want all the help that they can get," Andrea said in passing as they continued down the corridor. "Mandalore's location is pretty close to the Imperial's expansion."

Marin cringed. "That's.... not good..." she said softly, remembering from her history how the Empire had used the Mandalorians... well, the _Siit_ had too.

"No, it isn't. I feel that this is going to affect much...much more than what it already has."

Her answer was a silent nod as they made their way back to the courtyard. There, she hugged Andrea briefly, not caring who saw. Andrea had become almost a mother to her - but also a very close friend. "I'll be at the praxeum if you need me..." she said quietly as she swung effortlessly into the sidesaddle and arranged her skirts.

"Safe trip back and May the Force be with you," Andrea said with a smile as she watched Marin being to ride off.

With a nod and a wave, Marin guided her horse out through the gate and towards Mt. Adan.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The _Nebula_ \- class can be found on Wookieepedia.

“You know, Nik-Yar,” Vincent Rane mused as he worked on placing a shaped charge on the security locks to a large durasteel blast door. “We’re not being paid for this.”

“Yeah,” Nik nodded as he flipped his cigarette onto the grimy permacrete of the alley. His eyes were on the lights at the alley entrance, alert and ready for any sign of trouble.

“So, we’re not being paid,” Vincent stood, and his long black coat flowed around him as he made his way down the alley a safe distance from the charge. “We do not carry a debt to anyone, and there is no treasure or recompense to be garnered from this mission.”

“Again,” Nik nodded as the shaped charge blew and the huge door slid open on tracks that desperately needed greasing. He called his lightsaber to his hand, the hilt made from an old speeder bike’s handlebar. “Yeah. So?”

“So, my friend,” Vince joined him at the looming doorway, his pale skin shone in the dim light. His eyes were nearly glowing red. He took his own lightsaber from within his coat, and ignited its crimson blade. “We are dangerously close to doing something that the both of us had sworn to never do.”

Nik ignited his own golden blade and shrugged. “It was bound to happen sometime,” The pirate grinned, his green eyes tinged gold by the light of his blade. “I can think of worse ways to go all respectable.”

As he spoke, lights began to come up inside the massive hangar that the blast door had kept hidden. The thunder of booted footsteps stopped abruptly as several dozen hired thugs came rushing into view, blasters at the ready. Behind them, Glax’dona the Hutt moved his sizable weight incredibly fast toward a waiting hover sled.

Vincent saluted the thugs as they raised their blasters to fire upon the two renegades. From the midst of their formation, the obvious leader stepped forward. A Trandoshan with dark green scales, and obsidian eyes, he would have been an imposing figure if he’d been addressing anyone else.

“Leave this place and never return,” He commanded, though his voice, reptilian as it was, was just slightly shaky. “And, the exalted Glax’dona will let you-“

His words were cut off by the sound of a high-powered hold-out blaster being fired, and what had been a trandoshan’s head was now a puff of red mist. The room was deathly silent for a moment. Vince turned to see the smoking barrel of Nik’s DL-40, and the light dancing in his partner’s eyes.

“We’re not leaving,” Nik-Yar Randar said. “But, if any of you want to see another day, you’ll walk out of here and leave the slug to us. We’ve got some questions, and he has the answers.”

“And,” Vincent added, his blade at the ready. “We can assure you all that we will have the answers we seek. We are, when time allows, very persuasive.”

The thugs shook off their momentary disarray, and opened fire. Nik and Vince made sure it was the last mistake those hired goons ever made.

Fear played out in his overlarge eyes as the Hutt hovered, helplessly ensnared in the Force above a three hundred-meter drop. “I swear I don’t know anything!” His voice, deep and booming, never-the-less quavered and quaked.

“Do you think a Hutt would bounce?” Nik turned to Vince, looking away from where he held the huge gangster with the Force. They’d waded through the entirety of the Hutt’s hired hands, and chased the slug to a rooftop landing pad. Now they dangled him over the edge, inverted.

“I highly doubt that,” Vincent said from his perch atop a stack of crates. “Given his sizable weight, and his gelatinous form, it is more probable that he’d simply splash upon impact with the duracrete.”

“Such a lovely, picture,” Nik said, turning back to the dangling Hutt. “Maybe I’ll just drop him to see which one of us guessed right.”

“N-no!” The Hutt’s tiny arms waved madly at his sides. His huge eyes were turning purple as blood continued to rush toward his head. “I…I heard a rumor,” He pleaded. “One of my Barabel pets claimed there were caves on Barab 1 that we haven’t found yet. It-it claimed that their savior dwelt there, and would be coming to free them.”

“And where are these caves?” Vincent stepped closer to where Nik was dangling the Hutt.

“I-I don’t know,” the Hutt shook his massive head. “I had the Barabel in my holding cells for interrogation, but it hasn’t spoken yet.”

“The cells,” Vincent said. “Where are they?”

“Below the hangar, below this building,” Glax’dona cried, his eyes were bulging with the pressure of being suspended as he was. “Now, will you please let me go?”

Nik cast the Hutt a piteous look. “Very poor choice of words,” He said as he turned his back and released his hold through the Force. The Hutt’s scream echoed in the duracrete canyons of Nar Shadaa, but ended quickly enough with a wet splash. “Huh,” Nik shrugged. “Looks like you were right.”

“Indeed,” Vincent nodded as the two headed back for the rooftop access lift. “Shall we go and free some slaves, then?”

“Freeing slaves...us...wow…” Nik said as they boarded the lift. Broken and bloodied bodies lay strewn across the rooftop, testament to the duo’s fighting prowess.

“I know,” Vincent nodded. “It’s more than a little odd. What do you suppose this makes us?”

“Big damn heroes,” Nik smiled as he punched the button for the basement level of the building. “ _Big damn heroes_.”

Vincent chuckled as the lift doors closed. “I think I could get used to that.”

* * *

 _“Cap?”_ Mark Stryker’s voice was tentative over the opencom.

Wes Dannic suppressed a grimace and chinned his headset mic, “Yes, Nine?”

_“Are we there yet?”_

“Yes,” Wesley sighed as he stared out at the sea of stars. “We’re here. Go ahead and pop your canopy. Let me know what the temperature’s like.”

 _“Cold,”_ Mark deadpanned. _“Very cold.”_

“Roger that,” Wesley said. He glanced at his sensors. All of Blackhawk Squadron remained arrayed in a near-perfect delta formation. These were not the green pilots he brought into his command nearly four years ago. Hard time at the stick had forged them all into exemplary pilots. By some…miracle, or act of a vengeful god, they had retained their impermeable sense of humor through it all.

The Captain grinned; it was a fine bunch he led.

All of this made the current assignment that much more hard to swallow. The finest group of pilots in the Cataani Navy, and they were on a system-wide patrol mission before rendezvousing with _Valkyrie_ for the indefinite future. It was why Wesley was allowing a certain amount of groaning from his pilots. He didn’t like the situation any more than they did. But, with the Empire and _Lady Knows_ who else testing the waters around Cataani space, the whole of the Navy was on constant alert. It only made sense to have the best of the best out there, in case they actually did run into something.

The quiet on the com system was unnerving. “Tell me Stryker didn’t actually go EV,” Wesley put just the hint of a groan into his voice. “I’d hate to have to file all that paperwork.”

 _“That’s a negative, Cap,”_ Raz, in Hawk Five replied. _“He’s just sulking.”_

 _“I’m brooding,”_ Nine insisted. _“If you were a real girl, you’d find it irresistible.”_

 _“Permission to fire upon my Flight Leader?”_ Five asked. _“He’s clearly unstable.”_

“Denied, Five,” Wesley grinned. “Nine, stop sulking. Everyone keep your eyes peeled. We’re coming up on a sector that has had reported activity.”

A mixed chorus of _“Affirmative”_ and _“Roger that”_ rang in his headset before silence once again reigned over the opencom. Wesley checked his sensors again. They were running in full scan mode, relying on their speed to make up for the warning they’d be giving any hidden threats. Nothing was showing up, and Wes found himself tapping his foot in impatience. He quickly killed that urge, and honed his focus on the task at hand. It wouldn’t do for the Captain to miss something…with his crew, he’d never hear the end of it. He saw the blip on his screen for the barest of moments before his com crackled to life.

 _“Hawk Six,”_ Gaia’s voice flowed through the opencom with little distortion. _“Did you catch that, Lead?”_

“Affirmative,” Wes said, rolling his fighter onto an intercept path for the steadily growing blip. “Break by flights and stay loose. Even out your shields and get your guns charging. Two, try hailing them.” The Hawks split in perfect unison into their separate flight groups. Stryker still had lead of Three Flight, though it was now comprised of Doc, Raz, and Foxy. Calpo had Two Flight with Squeak, Toner, and Null. This left Wesley in charge of One Flight with Oso on his wing and the twins filling out the flight.

 _“Roger that,”_ Nick commed. _“Attention unidentified craft, you are entering Cataani space. Come to a stop and shut down any weapons systems. Prepare for inspection.”_

There was almost a full minute pause as the Hawks slowly closed on their target. Three and Two flight spread out to port and starboard as One Flight maintained a direct intercept course. Wesley was about to issue the command to hail them again when the one large blip suddenly exploded into two dozen smaller blips.

 _“Pirates!”_ Hawk three cried in excitement.

 _“Finally,”_ Stryker’s relief was nearly tangible. _“Tell me we get to vape something, Lead, please!”_

Wesley tightened his grip on the stick and allowed a feral grin to spread across his face. “Unidentified craft,” He said over the opencom. “We’ve issued fair warning. If you continue your offensive postures you will be fired upon.”

 _“Oh, just say it, Boss,”_ Foxy’s voice lost none of its sultry allure over the distortion.

The pirates let loose with canon fire from extreme range. _Amateurs_. Wesley shook his head. “Hawks,” He said with a grin. “Engage at will!”

* * *

**Cataan – Capitol City - Fleet Headquarters**

Wesley Dannic had really been telling the truth when he had told his squadron members that there was a meeting of the battlegroup commanders and the CAGs of each group with various commanders from the Marine divisions. What he hadn’t told them was that the ‘training sessions’ part of the explanation had already been covered several weeks ago. What was coming up, to his knowledge, was a full intelligence briefing. He and Admiral Payne had boarded the senior officer’s flag shuttle onboard _Valkyrie_ and started its flight from where she was moored in orbit on Catain, Cataan’s forest moon, towards the capitol city on Cataan.

There had been no specification on dress for the meeting, so Wesley had opted to wear a fresh duty uniform after he had showered from the simulation runs. It was a belted jumpsuit in the navy’s black color with the insignia patch for his fighter squadron on the upper left sleeve and the Valkyrie’s ship patch on the right just below the patch of Cataan’s royal flag. His rank pin, four bars, were on both sides of the collar and just below the squadron patch was a band of green to denote that he was a pilot. Being a commanding officer of the unit, there were four red slashes on the green to denote command.

Payne was also in the duty uniform; the only differences were that instead of a rank pin of four bars, his was two stars from having been promoted to Vice Admiral after review of his group’s performance against the Bothans several years ago. His also had only the ship’s patch on the right sleeve with the band on the left sleeve being solid red.

“I know that this is supposed to be an intel meeting,” Wesley said as he looked to his commanding officer. “But I wasn’t filled in on what exactly we’re supposed to be covering.”

“I wasn’t given the full scoop either,” Matther Payne said as he looked at his chrono. “But I imagine we’re going to hear quite a bit.”

“All the group commanders at the same time,” Wesley said as he leaned back and checked to make sure his compact datapad was handy in his jumpsuit’s thigh pocket.

“I was reviewing your after-action report on the run-in you had with the pirates,” Payne said as he thumbed a few pages on his own datapad. “Anything else you want to unofficially add to it?”

“Just a group of pirates that wanted to test us is my best figure.” Wes thought on it some and decided to air some personal thoughts on it. “I guess with as much talk going around about how much ground the New Republic has been giving, I’m sure word was probably spread of how the joint group of their Fifth Fleet and our Third Battlegroup at Ord Canfree. Some group of amateurs probably decided to see if we’d give much ground around our colonies.”

“One would think that Admiral Nagala would have made that message loud and clear with Galan,” Payne said as he shut down his datapad. “If they didn’t get the message then, then I’m sure your squadron just gave them a reminder.”

“I don’t know what was worse,” Wes told him, “the fact that it was amateurs that didn’t know how to really handle themselves in a real dogfight or my pilots biting at the bit to drop the hammer on them after news had reached us about Third Battlegroup’s losses.”

“I heard your brother and former exec’s squadron was involved in that action.”

Wes nodded. “They were and my old squadron along with the others really gave the Imps a run for their money. Admiral,” he said as he toned his voice down a little. “There was another rumor circulating through the squadrons that I think needs to be brought up.”

“What is it?”

Wes really sighed now as the feeling when he first heard it came back up. “A lot of people from Third were saying that it seemed like the New Republic forces didn’t want to put up a stiff fight at Ord Canfree. That it was almost as if they were fine with the Imps having the system.”

“I’ve heard the same rumor myself,” Payne told him in confidence. “And having fought alongside the Republic forces myself on several occasions at Harlean, Endor, and elsewhere…I have to say I’m not too thrilled with the lack of grit that they’re showing now.”

“Admiral,” the shuttle pilot called from the forward cabin. “We’re on final approach to the hangar.”

“Thank you,” Payne said as they waited for the shuttle to set down. The pilot knew how to handle his craft, Wes having checked him out himself and given him command of the flag shuttle when the admiral needed to make official visits. The pilot could fly very smooth, but could make the craft dance in needed in a combat situation.

Within a few moments of touchdown, Wes undid his crash harness and walked over to start opening the boarding ramp to exit the shuttle. He let Payne, being the senior officer, go first down the ramp and noted that there two junior officers already at the ramp waiting.

“Admiral Payne, Captain Dannic,” the older of the two greeted them after salutes were exchanged. “If you could accompany us, sirs, the meeting is set to start shortly.”

Payne motioned them to lead on as they started to leave the hangar and enter the main headquarters building for all of Cataan’s armed forces. The building was a simple, but fair-sized, circular design with only a few of its levels showing above ground. A vast majority of the facility was underground with several tramways leading to the royal castle, the Clans Building, and several protected bunkers.

It was the first time that Wes had been into the headquarters building and didn’t know exactly which level they were going into, but it was several minutes before they started to enter a large auditorium. There was a stage area with a blank screen behind it, the crest of the armed forces displayed on it.

In the center stood a podium and several other chairs in front of the stage. All the seats in the room were curved so that everyone would be facing the speaker and the two officers were led to their seating. Wes started to take a look around and recognized the most of the naval officers from the now ten battlegroups of the fleet, along with their wing commanders.

There were also several other leading naval officers here with different unit patches and division colors and he noted that quite a few of them wore the intelligence division’s grey band on their sleeves. The next thing that started getting his attention was the fact that there were more marine uniforms here which meant there were more commanders than he thought were going to be here….a lot more.

“Have you noticed how packed the room is, sir?” he asked as he looked over to Payne.

“Aye,” Payne told him as he had looked around as well. “We’re in for something big.”

_“Attention on Deck!”_

All the officers and men in the room stood as the side doors opened to the right and six officers started to walk in, everyone one of them wearing several stars on their collars.

 _The Joint Chiefs_ , Wesley thought as one with four stars moved to stand behind the lectern.

“Be seated,” Fleet Admiral Reyes Hollis said as he tapped a few controls to lower the lights except for the ones that were covering the stage area. “I’ll begin by informing all of our unit commanders here that this meeting is to be considered of the highest classification. Violating this without prior orders will be considered treason of the highest level and will be punished to the fullest extent.”

That got Wesley’s attention. Meetings of this magnitude, the knowledge that whatever was said would be confidential went without saying. The ranking commander of all of Cataan’s naval forces stating it now gave the fighter pilot a sense of just how serious this meeting was going to be.

“With the rumors and talk that have been filling the ranks of our military,” Hollis began. “It is imperative that all of us, senior commanders in our fleets and defense installations as well as other commanding officers involved, be on the same page with the facts of the situation at hand…not just galactic, but also how they pertain to our worlds. For the details, the podium will now be turned over to Admiral Nar Challa.”

Hollis had left the podium and Wes could see the other officer mentioned walking up. He had noticed that the chiefs had been wearing a working version of the dress uniform instead of the duty jumpsuits. It was the offset closure of the jacket on the admiral’s right side that tipped him off. It was belted as well and the closure had a line of gold along it to denote that it was a senior officer. The high-necked collar was in the division color and also held the rank pins and he could see several service ribbons on the left breast. Hollis’s uniform neck had the red color of the command division and he could see the grey of Intelligence on Nar Challa’s uniform as he took the podium.

The admiral grabbed a small device from the podium and clicked on it twice. The podium itself started to lower while the image of the military crest disappeared on the widescreen behind him; a holoprojection of the galactic map began to appear to replace it. “As Admiral Hollis has stated,” he began as the image settled and focused on the Galactic North on the map. “There has been much talk about the Empire’s movements and current placement. For starters, this was their territory as of four to five years ago.”

He clicked again and a line started to form around the area that contained Bastion, Muunilinst, Valc VII, Yaga Minor, and Borosk. It was roughly twice the size of the territory that Cataan controlled on the opposite side of the galaxy. “Jedi Intelligence had shared with us a report at that time of Imperial stormtroopers that were present on Rhen Var while they were locked in a battle at the same time that our forces, in concert with the New Republic, were in combat with the Bothans over Endor. Since that time, the Imperial political structure and their fleet have obviously gone through a major change. Within the last three years, their fleet has started to spread out and reclaim lost territory with a vengeance in all areas. At this time, we estimate that their borders are along these lines now.”

He clicked once more and a new line started to form. This one was far longer and several murmurs were coming from the group of commanders while the line continued to grow until a vast majority of Galactic North was enveloped. “As you can see, they have gone as trailward as Elom and also stretching so that they are poised to also move towards Almania and also push into the Corporate Sector. They have well expanded northward to the edges of the Outer Rim and towards the Tingel Arm.

Along with this they have pushed into the Unknown Regions and have completely enveloped Chiss space and their capital at Csilla. How far they have pushed Rimward from that location as well as how far Coreward is unknown at the time. In known territory, though, they have gone beyond where we engaged them at Ord Canfree and are in a position to move in towards Ord Mantell, Fornax, and Glee Anselm.”

“Excuse me, admiral,” a Marine General called from a few sections away from where Wes and Payne sat. “Am I to understand, then, that they are on a quest to reclaim former territory and power that they started to lose after the first battle over Endor?”

“I can’t claim to know Issard and Nichova’s plans and intentions,” Nar Challa told him in response. “But the territory they’ve claimed, the rate they’re claiming it and the power they’re using to get it could point to no other conclusion at this time.”

There were several other murmurs now around the auditorium as Payne lifted his hand. “On that note, sir,” he asked as he checked notes on his datapad. “There have been only talks and rumor spread of the fleet size and strength used at Ord Canfree…”

“I was going to reach that in a moment, Admiral Payne, but now is as good time as any.”

Nar Challa changed images on the screen and showed several holos taken from Ord Canfree. Wes and Matther both noted index notes of each image as being from _C.S.S. Arikine_ , Third Battlegroup’s flagship, and several other vessels during the battle.

“Captain Harkness,” the admiral said as he handed the clicker over to another intelligence officer, “if you would please.”

“Aye sir,” the captain said as he walked out and started to highlight several ships in the images. “As you can see, the Imperials have several new designs that we’re completely unfamiliar with. The majority of them are smaller classes, ranging from frigate escort types to heavy cruisers. Their performance and firepower matched similar class types employed by us and the New Republic. Only two _Imperial_ -class star destroyers were present, _Mark IIs_ ,” he continued, highlighting the ships. “The Empire has usually employed more of these during an engagement of this size. We can only assume at the moment that there has been a shift in Imperial doctrine in regards to order of battle.”

“Captain, if I may for a moment?” a voice came from the audience. Payne looked over and noticed that the person was Admiral Conners, Sixth Battlegroup’s commander.

“Certainly, Admiral,” Harkness said as he yielded the floor.

“From what the Jedi told us of the events that happened during their own battle several years ago, their opponent used several ships of that class along with multiple super star destroyers. Would it not be a sensible assumption that the Empire has also kept several of those types of ships back from our notice?”

“It is entirely possible, sir,” Harkness told him and all of the others present. “We still have no information of the size or composition of the force used against the Chiss. Our only estimates can come from what we learned at Ord Canfree and through our other intelligence sources. As I said, the appearance of only two star destroyers caught our attention to the possibility of a doctrinal shift. However, what has surprised our analysts was another ship class that Third Group ran against.”

He clicked for a single image on the screen and enlarged it enough to see the ship in question. It was bringing a lot of quieted talk along with the personnel present.

“We counted six of these _Nebula_ -class battleships with Imperial markings on all of them,” Harkness said as he pulled up a general layout of the ship type.

“But that is a New Republic designed ship,” Conners said from his seat. Several others voiced agreement. “How were the Imperials able to obtain the schematics?”

“Unknown at this time, Admiral, nor can we determine right now if there has been any information of a serious defection of New Republic forces.”

“But there have been actions by the New Republic that can bring that into question,” Hal DeSoto, First Group’s commander, stated from where he sat. Nar Challa stood up and took the briefing from there, but DeSoto kept on. “Sir, word has reached all of the fleet commanders of the events that happened outside the system some time ago…about a reconnaissance mobile suit with New Republic markings scouting our home system.”

Wes and Payne both perked up about where this might be going now. But then, they should have known that it had reached fleet-wide about the incident…it was Second Group that had discovered and cornered the mobile suit and careful strategy from the admiral and Steffan Karrde that resulted in the recon suit being in a secured location and its pilot in custody.

“It is true,” Admiral Hollis told everyone. “The mobile suit in question has been taken to a secured location and its pilot is in maximum security undergoing interrogation. As to why the suit was sent out, we don’t know. But we _do_ know from the logs that it was recording information on several locations, primarily our fleet berths on Catain’s upper hemisphere orbit and the shipyard facilities on the lower half. There were several ground facilities also being mapped out apparently, but we have nothing as to why yet. We can’t exactly bring this up to the New Republic military command just yet as it would be construed as one ally accusing another.”

“Sir,” Payne asked, “may I make a suggestion on that matter.”

“By all means, Matther,” Hollis said to him.

“I know that there is a gathering at Master Steffan Karrde’s residence and that former-General Dinn is probably present. Could she be asked to approach Maxell on the issue?”

“It’s a valid question…one I would be highly interested in finding out. Thank you, Admiral, I’ll see to that. Harkness, continue with the brief.”

"Aye, sir," Harkness said as he clicked to pull a chart up on the screen. "This is the main order of battle that was used, taken from the all of the image recorders on our ships that survived the encounter. Two _Imperial_ _Mark II_ s, we think possibly acting as the command ships. Six _Nebula_ -class destroyers as the heavy hitters, with anywhere from 5 to 10 of different classes of combat and support ships. Estimated ship count that the Empire threw into this is sixty to eighty total."

“Captain,” DeSoto started to ask him. “Do we know if this was a single fleet or a joint operation?”

“We think two separate groups,” the captain said as everyone kept looking over the chart of different ship types shown. “It is only a theory by our analysis group, but a good one. If the _Imperial_ -classes were acting as command ships, then the numbers of the other classes present could be split and you would have two groups with the same number of ship types.”

“So we could say that they’re using the same amount of ships in one group as we do in our battlegroups.”

“We could, admiral.”

Payne was making notes of all of this. If there were two separate groups employed, then the numbers matched a Cataani battlegroup exactly. Most of the senior commanders present knew the specs and capabilities of the _Nebula_ -class and knew that it was on par with their own _Loneman_ -class, the heavy hitter and flagships of their battlegroups. Three would be in a battlegroup and they had just expanded it to four with the thought of making it five of the class.

And while Payne was making his notes, Wesley started making some of his own and was the next to ask the captain a few questions.

“What about their fighter force composition?”

Payne looked up from that question and looked to see several others nodding on this, the other CAGs and Marine wing commanders.

“Fighters seem to be TIEs of a type we haven’t identified yet,” Harkness said as he pulled up a few images.

“I can solve that for you,” Wesley said as he looked over all the images, wincing as he did so and he could imagine the other pilots in the room wincing at the same time. “They’re using TIE Defenders…just about the best design Seinar Systems came up with for that platform.”

“I think I’m seeing _Scimitar_ bombers along with them,” a Marine pilot said as he looked over another image. “Quite a few of them.”

Wes winced again. This was going to play havoc with his crews. But if the other squadrons were anything like his, they would be looking forward to the fight.

“I probably know the answer to this question,” Payne said as he kept making notes, “but do we have any kind of estimation as to the number of fleet groups the Empire has?”

“We don’t, sir,” Harkness told him with a sigh…another time he had to answer with a ‘we don’t know’.

“Our operations branch is working on plans to discover this, but it is going to take some time.” Admiral Hollis told them from his seat. “Information we’ve gotten from the New Republic is scarce. As Admiral DeSoto mentioned, there are too many signs showing that we cannot fully rely on the New Republic. As much as we’ve worked together, that comes as hard for me to say as it is for you to hear. We’ve actually obtained more intelligence through the Jedi than we are the Republic.”

“What exactly is going to be our game plan for right now, admiral?” DeSoto asked. This was what they all wanted to hear.

“As of right now, His Majesty has approved all forces going into a Condition Three state of readiness. All fleets in dock are to prepare for departure within the next twenty-eight hours for your patrol areas. All fleet elements that have been deployed longer than two weeks are to return to ports for replenishment and redeployment.”

“Sir,” Nagala asked. “Elements of my group have been in constant rotation on the interdiction of Galan after the events some time back involving a rouge group that the Mandalorians have been dealing with. Do those units remain on station, rejoin us, or something different?”

“I need to meet with you about that afterward, Bryce,” Hollis told him. “We’ve received word from Her Highness that the group in question is going to be dealt with and we will not have to participate in that action.”

“Are there any other matters?” he asked as he looked over the rest of the field. “If nothing now, the command offices are going to be open for them later. Right now, return to your commands and start making preparations for this deployment. Dismissed.”

All stood up and saluted as the chiefs walked out of the room.

“Once more unto the breach,” Payne said as he looked over to Wesley.

“I got the feeling we’re in for the entire match,” his wing commander said.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _adiike_ \- child aged 3-13  
>  _aliit_ \- clan, family  
>  _alor(e)_ \- clan leader(s)  
>  _aruetiise_ \- outsiders, non-Mandos  
>  _buir_ \- father  
>  _ikaad_ \- child under age 3  
>  _tiingilar_ – a savory casserole  
>  _Tsad Droten_ \- the Republic  
>  _verd’goten_ – coming of age trial  
>  _netra'gal_ \- black ale  
>  _ner'vod_ \- my brother/sister

**Cataan – Jedi Praxeum**

The morning following Ryneas' party dawned clear and cool. As usual, Marin was up with the sun, running through her kata in the praxeum's training circle. She knew she needed to send a message to Master Qenadius, but she didn't want to wake him. From what Dilan had said, the Council meeting had taken place after the party, and it had run late. She shook her head at the thought of him being up this early after such a late night. She continued through her kata, composing the message in her mind. By the time she'd completed her kata, an hour had passed, and the sun was climbing into the sky. She went inside and up to her quarters, quickly composing the message on her datapad.

 _"Master Qenadius. I've heard the news that the kyr'tsad are moving in on Cataani space once more. I'd like to meet with you and discuss what I can do to help. I know the Cataani star systems well. I would like to help bring kyr'tsad to justice. In service, Marin Durza."_ She set it with a time delay, so it would send in 20 minutes. Hopefully, she wouldn't wake Xan.

Little to Marin's knowledge, at the same time she awoke for the day, Xan had been up for an hour. He had to contact Coruscant and get a hold of his padawan and arrange for the transfer of headquarters for Intelligence from the galactic center to Cataan.

Also getting Sharon and Althea to clean out the remaining stuff from Callista’s and his shared unit in the temple as well as getting Sharon and Althea's stuff squared away in the _Par'jila_ 's holds. Xan's final message to Sharon was a typical bluster, "And if you two screw around with the systems again, I will find something here that will teach you two the meaning of not messing with a Mandalorian. You got the codes and STC is aware of your journey, so hop to it."

Xan closed the comm and proceeded with his morning meditations. After the Council session, the mood was somber and he knew it would affect him. Twenty minutes later, his meditations ended and while he was calmer, the mood did not change. He sighed loudly and was going to rise to his feet when his message chime sounded. He grabbed at his helmet and slipped it on to find a message from Marin.

After reading the message he grinned a bit before checking his system link to find Marin's location and to his surprise found that she remained in her quarters. He grabbed the comm code and them commed her station. "How many times do you need to be told, Durza. It's Xan, leave the ‘Master’ _osik_ for the _aruetiise_ ," he growled as she initiated the feed on her end.

Marin flushed and grinned at his image. " _Jate Vaar'tur_ to you too, Xan…" she said with a smile. "Do you want me to meet you?"

Xan grinned at the young Mandalorian. " _Elek_ , I gotta make a run into Edmonton for a few things first but I can meet you later on this morning, closer to 1100. You know where the tapcaf is?"

"I do..." she answered. "I'll meet you there." She raised an eyebrow at him. "You didn't bother to tell me _Et'ika_ was coming. He told me himself a few hours ago.."

Xan raised his eyebrow at her, smirking. "He did, _me'ven_? He was supposed to keep that on private channels. You messing around in my affairs, _Mar'ika_?"

Her eyes widened. "Not me. He just told me he was heading this way to talk to you. Nothing more than that, really..."

"Cool your afterburners, _dalyc_." Xan laughed. "You'll find out why at the tapcaf. By the way, now that you're old enough, your turn to buy the _tiingilar_ and n _etra'gal_."

Marin sputtered. " _Me'ven_....?"

"You heard me. Seems your _buir_ and _Et'ika_ made enough of an impression on the owner so he knows how to get the stuff and make a decent _tiingilar_. I'm more receptive to things on a full stomach." Xan said grinning again.

She blinked at him, and then nodded. "Alright. Anything else...?"

" _Nayc_ , unless Andrea has plans for you already. If she does, tell her to come with." Xan said.

Marin shook her head. "She's busy talking to some of the colonists." She was silent for a moment. "Some of them want to settle on the forest moon in the Tanagis system." She let out a breath. "Anyways. I'll pass it along, though."

Xan scowled a bit at the new information but nodded. "1100 hours then." and with that, he closed the comm.

Marin let out a breath and frowned as Xan's image disappeared from her screen. _'Well then, I'd best get moving,'_ she told herself as she checked the time display on her datapad. It read 0930. Shaking her head, she dashed into the 'fresher and showered, dressing in a clean tunic and trousers when she'd finished. Sure, she'd been to the tapcaf in town. But she'd just come from Edmonton mere hours before.

She shook her head and brushed out her hair, braiding it again as she grabbed her full weapons belt. She'd left all but her saber when she'd gone to the castle. Buckling it on, she slipped a cred chip into her belt pouch, hoping it was enough. Between what Jarius had left her, and what she earned on the bounty missions she went on with Ethan, she had ... _a lot_. She shrugged off the thought and took the stairs to the courtyard two at a time.

It didn't take her long to make it to the stables and saddle her usual mount. The brown mare was well accustomed to Marin, and responded well to the girl's commands as she guided the mare gently down the trail. Thirty minutes later, she was coming into Edmonton. The tapcafe wasn't far, and she reached it in good time, making her way inside to get things settled.

* * *

Meanwhile, Xan's trek into the town was to stock up on supplies he knew he was going to need for the next little while. With the others now more prone to assist in the areas he was struggling with, he could concentrate on other things for the time being. Marin was going through her _verd'goten_ now. And the reason she commed him earlier in the day was the same thing he decided on to give her for her trial. But in order to do so they needed to be supplied.

After grabbing the essentials of what they required for the hunt, he made his way to the tapcaf. Prior to Xan's first exposure to Cataan and Callista's acceptance of the lifestyle, Mandalorians were not well regarded on Cataan. Thankfully, the exposure the he and others including young Marin had on the population went a long way to an understanding and Cataani acceptance of their lifestyle and Mandalorian acceptance of Cataani culture.

As he walked into the tapcaf, again he was taken aback by the cleanliness of the place and the friendly people in the establishment. ‘Still feels like a library more then a tapcaf.’ he thought to himself before he spotted Marin's table. He made his way through the crowd and slipped into the booth without so much as a word. Taking a large gulp of _netra'gal_ first. "Mmm, Copper's Reserve... finally some decent _netra'gal_ here for a change."

Marin smiled, sipping at her mug of _behot_. She'd not really developed a taste for _netra'gal_ yet. "You know, I was just down here yesterday afternoon. Well, not _here_ \- but at the castle... " She said quietly, as she contemplated her tea mug for a moment.

Xan grunted at that while he took in a mouthful of the casserole. He chewed thoughtfully for a minute, swallowed and then responded, "And?"

Marin shrugged. "Andrea had wanted me to talk to some of the colonists. I had a chance to ask questions of my own. I've no problem with them settling on the moon, as long as they stay the _fierfek_ away from my land. The northern hemisphere's no good for them anyway, being farmers. They agreed. The formal agreement is being drawn up as we speak." She sighed. "I felt no deceit from them... and I did probe them." she ducked her head, remembering Andrea's words about it being better to ask forgiveness than permission.

"How many colonists are we talking about, _ner'vod_?" He asked before taking another mouthful of the spicy dish.

Marin took a bite of her own dish of _tiingilar_ , savoring the spiciness of it for a moment before she answered him. "No more than 50...."

Xan's face clouded a bit. "Then I don't see why you are getting your _shebs_ in a knot, _Mar'ika_. Fifty is better than five hundred or five thousand. Plus, perhaps with their presence, the _Kyr'tsad_ will take the hint and leave the moon alone." Xan sighed after swallowing another mouthful. "But that's why you contacted me wasn't it. What do you know of the latest movements?"

 _That_ got her attention. "What does _Kyr'tsad_ have to do with the colonists?" She shook her head. "Not much really. All I know is that they're trying to push into Cataani space again.."

"That's been old news for at least a year. I take it _Et'ika_ has told you nothing with what is going on on _Manda'yaim_ and other Empire worlds, _me'ven_?"

Marin shook her head. "I haven't heard much about that. But from what Andrea told me they _are_ trying to push their way back in-system here, and recently."

Xan sighed. "We're in a civil war, _Mar'ika_. The Protectorate keeps getting bombarded with attacks, seemingly at random. Before I left for Cataan, Sharon picked up the latest. Kyrimorut was attacked hard, aiming at the food supply and they also went for MandalMotors."

"What...?" Marin almost choked on her lunch. "Is there anything being done to either aid the protectorate or stop _Kyr'tsad_?"

Xan sighed. "The _Tsad Droten_ are too worried about the rat cans to do anything and given that it's that _mir'osik_ Maxell in control of NR CoC I doubt they'd lift a finger right now. I sent in an aid crew with AgriCorps members before I left but we can't keep doing so for long. The Jedi are fighting a battle on several fronts, not just assisting."

Marin slumped slightly. She'd seen how worn out and stressed Master Karrde had been lately. Come to think of it, Xan looked tired himself. "I want to help... but how can I? I'm only one person...."

Xan smiled a bit. "You can and you _**will**_ , _Mar'ika_." He placed a hand on top of one of hers. "We may not be ready yet to take out the _Kyr'tsad_ completely, but we can do something to let them know we have awoken."

She frowned, and her blue eyes sought his. "How?" was all she asked.

Xan took another long draught of the black ale and swallowed before grinning. "Well we do have an attempt at an incursion into Cataani space that keeps getting deflected but not taken out, right?"

" _Elek_..." Marin answered with a nod as she tried to piece together where he was going with this. "You... want my help? What could I possibly do?"

"Your _verd'goten_...what else?" Xan said before taking another bite of the meal, letting her process the information.

"My... what? You're...." she stopped and really looked at him, reaching out to him in the Force. "You're... not joking....."

Xan nodded. "You are the only one left right now of your _aliit_ , that makes you an _alor_ but yet you haven't received your _verd'goten._ And it needs at least two _alore_ to witness the trial. What better way for that then a hunt?"

Marin gasped. "Two _alore_.... _Et'ika...._ But then why would he tell me he was coming?" She frowned, falling silent as she tried to process that.

Xan frowned. "Why _wouldn't_ he tell you he was coming?" He shook his head. "We just wanted to wait till one of us saw you in person to tell you is all."

Marin nodded. "Sorry, it's a lot to take in right now...." she drained her _behot_ , taking another bite of the casserole as she tried to order her thoughts. She laughed a little. "I guess I should have expected it. I haven't exactly been quiet about it being my goal to bring down _kyr'tsad_. And not just for _buir_. But everyone whose families have been torn apart.."

Xan smiled a bit again. " _Elek_ , plus you are old enough now and have enough skills to do this properly. And doubly so since Andrea's taken you on. Apart from you making googly eyes at a certain other student."

Marin flushed crimson at that and busied herself with eating for a moment before she responded. "Jarod and I are making our studies our priority, Xan."

" _Elek_...and I'm sure the studies on the inner workings of the mouth have done you both great service," Xan said, smirking. "But all that aside, he's been Knighted by now and it's time you matched him. This may not be a Knighthood but it's as important."

She flushed again, slightly flustered. She decided to distract herself by talking about the trial. "So... I know what I'll be doing... the next questions are: When and How. Though I suppose the how is left up to me...?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

Xan nodded a bit. "Well as long as _Kyr'tsad_ are sent to _Dar'yaim_ , how is in your hands. When.... that can be as soon as Sharon and Althea get in from _Coruscanta_. We'll need to make a plan up, but this should be _aliit_ alone for now." he said, referring to the bond that Ethan had in Marin's life as well as the bond Sharon had with Xan and Althea had with Callista. "Though I'm not sure if Andrea wants to do this herself."

"She _can't_ , Xan.... the risk is too great. She has an _ikaad_ now..." Marin said, thinking of Ian. “And the Guard would have a heart attack..”

Xan nodded and blushed a bit, forgetting about that. " _Ni ceta,_ you’re right. I keep forgetting about things like that lately. Sure would've saved me with the General and the Rogue." he mused.

Marin gave him a curious look. " _Me'ven_...?"

Xan shook his head and growled. "Council business; never you mind for now. You got enough on your plate."

Marin shrugged and went back to eating for a moment. “I suppose you'll want to meet with _Et'ika_ soon? He should be landing within an hour or so at the house...."

Xan nodded. " _Elek_. I want to hear bout the situation on _Manda'yaim_ from him first and then when the others arrive we can begin to plan this out." Xan finished his meal and sighed. "Meanwhile, I want you to sharpen up on your skills a bit in preparation. You've been good with the _Jetii'kad_ lately but I want you to polish up your other skills."

She frowned. " _Other_ skills? You'll need to be a bit more specific..."

"Rippers, blasters, sniping, stealth, knife and _beskad_ work, _Mar'ika_. Your heritage." he scowled at her. "What in the name of the _Manda_ do you think I meant?"

She flushed. "I've been working with almost all of those... except the _beskad_... _Et'ika_ 's been teaching me a lot, but he hasn't touched on that yet."

Xan scratched at his three-day old beard. "Hmmm, better get on that then. Tell you what. Tomorrow, I'll meet you outside the Praxeum's gates for a _beskad_ lesson. Think you're up for that?"

She stared at him for a moment. "Uh... sure. I don't think Andrea has anything scheduled for today. She cleared my schedule after that last meeting went late.”

"I'm not free though. After I'm done with _Et'ika_. I got more planning with the Council and the rest of my _aliit_ to do. _Shab_ Steffan for putting me on Council!"

* * *

**Karrde home - landing pad**

Ethan was running his hands through the grey of his hair as he punched the control for the boarding ramp to go down. He tried to hold a yawn in but he just went ahead and did it as he watched the ramp lower and noticed that Xan and Marin were at the pad looking up at him. "You weren’t kidding when you said you really needed to talk to me, did ya?" he asked as he went down the ramp. "Barely give the engine thrust coils a chance to cool."

Marin grinned at him and tucked a few loose strands of her hair behind her left ear. She'd gotten taller since she'd last seen him, and didn't have to look up at him anymore. " _Su'cuy, Et'ika_." she said.

Xan held back a smirk as Ethan spoke. "Well, I think that a hunt of this magnitude deserves quick action, _ner'vod_. Would you rather I let you cool your heels with the padawans in the Praxeum?"

Ethan gave him a look. "Day I need to cool my heels is the day they'll be shoveling dirt in my face." He looked at Marin and winked, then slightly regretted it with the bruise he had on that side and just gave her a hug. "Missed you too, girl. You're getting taller on me, though."

Marin smiled and hugged him. " _Elek_.... It's been a while." She looked him over and frowned disapprovingly at the bruise purpling his right cheek. "Are you alright?"

"Ahh... it's just a shiner," he said as he greeting Xan with the warrior's grip in greeting. "Played _dar’yaim_ getting out of Rhen Var from that recon you wanted to send me on, Xan."

Xan grimaced. "Not surprising. The Rat Cans are trying to make sure everything is shorn up before a bigger push Coreward. Plus whatever they found there, it's worth keeping an eye on the source of the info." He looked at Ethan closely for a minute. "Rat Cans or something else?"

"Rat Cans at Rhen Var," Ethan said as he unfolded a sheet of the galactic map and laid it out on the pad, pointing out locations to Xan. "Hutts moved up from Jabiim to Handooine and decided to crash the vacation spot at Iego...almost as if they might want to think about making a push towards Mon Calamari. I barely escaped notice at Rhen Var, but the Rat Cans looked like they were ready to send a recon screen to Ossus. Figured you'd want to know that right quick."

Marin looked back and forth between them, utterly confused. She'd been keeping tabs on the holonews lately, but nothing they were talking about made sense to her.

This time it wasn't a grimace so much he blanched. " _It's begun._.." he murmured and his eyes grew distant, reliving the vision he had.

"Oh, it gets better, my boy," Ethan said as he looked up.

Xan shook his head to clear mental cobwebs a short time after. "What else?"

"Word around the camps is our old' friend Danos J'oran isn't laying low anymore," Ethan said as he pointed to a few other systems. "What I caught on Vjun when I was hanging around is that he and a few of his _kyr'tsad_ cronies are seeing about causing some havoc. One source said something about them laying mines along the Hydian and Perlemian routes at different points inside the Mid Rim. Now, who do you suppose would benefit from them doing that?"

Marin's face went still for a moment. "Isn't J'oran the one who...?"

Xan growled, " _Son of a Sith harlot!_ " He smacked a fist into a gloved palm. "Yes, _Mar'ika_ he is....gotten bolder too in the last while. Said to have slain a few _Kyr'tsad_ capos to gain room to maneuver."

Marin frowned. "Any mention of _Kyr'tsad_ movements in Cataani space recently?"

"As for _Kyr'tsad_ reports in Cataani space. Blackhawks beat back a pirate convoy a few days ago. No word if that was a disguised probe or not."

"He's gone maverick, Xan, no doubt," Ethan said as he looked to Marin. "Did hear something about a 'probe' at Cataan and not much else. But apparently, they've had a few holdings south of here at Omwat and Eriadu, may have had them for a while. If Cataan was a target, that'd be the closest place to launch it but even _Kyr'tsad_...or J'oran for that matter...ain't crazy enough to try to take a fight to these people. Hell, the deal with the Bothans should've taught everyone that lesson."

The mention of Cataan's foremost fighter squadron piqued her interest. "How come I've not been hearing any of this? Why else would they come to Cataan then...?"

"Unless they wanted to test them for something else, I don't know."

Marin frowned. "They traced _buir_ here often enough to know where he was at any given time. What if they are trying to track down his associates?"

Xan smirked at Marin. "You ain't on council yet, that's why. 'Sides, you've been busy with Andrea and this is the first time since we talked at Edmonton that I could get a hold of you for more than a few minutes." He scowled again though. "Testing sounds right. But J'oran isn't that stupid to come after his associates. Not unless he's gotten suicidal. No....there is something around here we've missed, I think."

Ethan looked to Marin with a knowing look and leaned back to sit on the boarding ramp. "Think he's playing 'foot soldier' or 'middleman' instead of running his own show?"

Marin frowned. "It's possible." She shrugged off Ethan's glance for the moment and sank down beside him, twisting her Padawan braid in her fingers. "Though, that doesn't make sense. From what I know of him, he's not the type to take orders well..... unless the party in question is paying very well?" she phrased the last as a question.

Xan blinked for a moment " _Mar'ika_....your lands. Is there any indication from what your _buir_ left you that there might be something in your lands of value?"

She looked over at him. "I'm... not sure. It's a possibility. I know he left a lot to me, I still haven't figured out what _all_ he left."

"There's really no telling," Ethan said to put in his two chits worth. "Those ranges covered several hundred kilometers."

Marin nodded. "I just recently got out of talks with the minister. Some colonists wanted to settle on the moon in the Tanagis system. I've agreed to let them settle in the southern hemisphere. It's more suitable for their needs. I felt no malice or ill intent from them. I haven't had a lot of time to go looking for anything he might have left hidden..."

Xan started to pace, a sign of agitation. "In the old days, an _alor_ was given his own small fleet of ships and resources to call upon in times of great need. Jarius' case would be an example of such a needed gift. And we do know that Jarius maintained a close bond with his Cataani vode. I wonder..."

Marin frowned. "Could we perhaps see if the Blackhawks would be willing to help?"

"They're gearing up for something," Ethan told her. "There's been a lot of fleet movement in and out of Catain, but I've seen Valkyrie moving out. Where ever she is, the Blackhawks are there too."

Marin's face fell. " _Shassa_... there goes that idea..."

"All the better. The last rumor I heard was J'oran got his hands on a _Keldabe_. And you know he's itching to use it."

 _That_ got Ethan's attention. "Where in the _Manda_ did you hear about that?"

"A what?" Marin looked to Ethan, confusion coloring her expression. “Again, this time with a translation, please?"

"Sharon commed me last night after our latest aid crew reached _Manda'yaim_. Apparently one of the _verd'alore_ was a sympathizer and let J'oran walk away with a squadron and the _Keldabe_ from our post a Concord Dawn." Xan paused and looked at Marin. "The _Keldabe_ has enough firepower to take on a _Vic II_ star destroyer and come out unscathed. It's one of the largest ships MandalMotors makes, _Mar'ika_. Couple that and the Mass Drivers and Shield Leecher tech they possess and suddenly places such as your farm become mulch."

She swallowed. " _Fierfek_.... do the Cataani have anything that could match that...?"

Ethan thought about that for a long moment. "A _Keldabe_ wouldn't stand much a chance against that class the _Valkyrie_ belongs to, and going against a battlegroup would be suicide. He'd have to use it for hit and fades." He chuckled some. "They've got one type I've only heard about. Its smaller, but I've heard rumor that it could take an _Imp Duece_ by itself."

"But why bother if he knows it won't last against the _Valkyrie_?" Marin asked with a frown.

"J'oran is anything but a brilliant strategist. If there is something he wants, he goes for it. Thinking wisely requires brains, and _Kyr'tsad_ don't have them."

She looked to Ethan, raising an eyebrow as her gaze slid to Xan. "If you want my help, being vague doesn't help any of us..."

"That's a fact," Ethan said as he got up and dusted off. "Is there any caf around? I hadn't had a good cup in a while."

Xan chuckled. "Yeah, let's get you to the house. I could use a cup myself." And as they started walking, he smirked at Marin. "I'm not being vague, I'm being more Karrde-ish. something I have to learn to cultivate."

Ethan looked over at him. "Be like Karrde? _You_? Since when did you become a comedian?"

Marin made a face at Xan, and then shrugged. "Xan's different from the last time I saw him..." She couldn't put her finger on why.

"Since the _barve_ put me through the wringer and got me to accept a Council position, that's what," he grumbled. "Don't say it, I know. Bloody galaxy won't last a week. I've heard it already. You _do_ know who my father-in law-is..."

Marin giggled. "Bet that was... _interesting_..."

 _That_ got Ethan's attention and he bellowed a laugh and slapped Xan's shoulder. "On the Council? That’s rich...." Then he looked closer at Xan and knew it wasn't a joke. "Well...ain't that a kick in the _shebs_."

She glanced sideways at Xan. "You weren't expecting it, were you, Xan?"

Xan sighed " _Elek_ , feels more like a kick in the _buy'ce_ though." he groaned as they reached the doorway. He opened it and motioned for the others to enter before him " _Mar'ika_ , I'm not sure you want to know why I was expecting it."

She raised an eyebrow at him, but something told her she really _didn't_ want to know. "If you want to tell me, have at it. I'm not an _adiik_ anymore, you know," she said by way of gentle rebuke.

Xan chuckled a bit. "You haven't completed your _verd'goten_ yet, _Mar'ika_." His face soon fell though. "But we're facing something that is more dangerous then the _Siit_ threat we faced three years ago."

She fell silent for a moment. "Isn't my _verd'goten_ why _Et'ika_ is here?"

Jade looked around the corner and saw Ethan coming in and gave him a look. "I'm sorry, milady," he told her. "I haven't had time to dust off proper. I'll take a cup of caf and head outside." He then looked over at Marin and then to Xan. "The _verd'goten_? That's what you're thinking?"

Marin could only nod, as Ethan hadn't told her anything else.

"What better time for it, _ner'vod_?" Xan looked at Ethan hard. "'Specially now, if Andrea is adamant on those colonists settling down on the moon. Plus, we know the _Kyr'tsad_ are up to something. The _Manda_ is moving us in this direction. And you know as well as I do; she's better prepared then most of our _adiike_ are at this time."

Ethan accepted the cup from Jade and stepped back out onto the front part of the porch and sat down on the steps and sipped his cup. "Aye...if ever there was a sure way to do that, this is it."

After getting a cup of _behot_ from Jade, Marin made her way onto the porch and leaned against one of the columns supporting the roof as she sipped at it.

Ethan sipped his caf and looked up at the mountains, gathering his thoughts. "How many settlers...from where?"

Xan mouthed to Jade, "Sorry for the dust. I'll clean it up soon." before turning his attention back to the other _Mandos_. " _Mar'ika_ knows more about that than I, _Et'ika_."

"They're from Telos.. .and not more than fifty..." Marin said quietly, hiding a smile as she saw Jade's look.

"Farmers, you said?" he asked as he still sipped his cup and enjoyed the view.

" _Elek_ , Farmers..." Marin said quietly as she looked out over the gardens.

“That's what Andrea keeps saying. I'm sure _Mar'ika_ might believe that at some point. But she's been grouchy about that." he smirked.

"Hmmm," he said as he kept looking. "What did they say they'd do with the land? The timber?"

" _Me'ven_?" Marin whirled on Xan. "What do you mean?" She turned back to Ethan at his question. "The delegation said that they'd use as much of the natural materials as possible. That surprised me, as it shows a respect for the land similar to that of the Cataani... They have the tools and machinery to do so."

" _Nerf dung_ ," Ethan said as he took a long drink of his cup. "Xan, you might to ask Jade to call Andrea over here soon as she can."

Xan raised an eyebrow. "Ok...and why?"

Marin frowned. " _Et'ika_...? I sensed no deceit from them.."

"I've never seen a house on Telos made with natural materials," Ethan told them both. "And the planet's full of timbers."

Xan looked taken aback a bit but nodded and made his way inside the house.

That set Marin frowning again. "But... Andrea didn't sense any of them were lying..."

“About that part, they may not have been," he said between drinks. "I don't doubt yours or her ability to tell if someone is hiding something. They may actually treat the land like that...but they may not be from Telos."

Marin looked at him sharply. "What makes you say that...? And wouldn't the Cataani government notice something like that?"

Meanwhile, in the house, Xan found Jade in the kitchen again. He stopped and leaned on the countertop. "Jade, d'you know if Andrea is available? Ethan and Marin are discussing the colonists' issue and Ethan looked perturbed."

"Cataan doesn't have relations with everybody, _Mar'ika_. No one does. They could be from an area they are afraid or ashamed to mention it for fear of being rejected." He turned to look at Xan. "And quit acting like a Cathar with a _shebs_ full of sand, will ya?"

Marin frowned. "Is it possible they could be part of one of J'oran's probes into Cataani space...?" she asked warily.

He thought about it for a moment. "How'd their hands look?"

Xan caught that and frowned making his way back to the deck. "You _have_ met them, haven't you, _Mar'ika_?"

" _Elek_ , I have. A few of them anyways..." Marin frowned at Ethan's question, but let her eyes fall closed for a moment as she searched her memory. "The ones that I met, their hands were rough, and they all looked worn... kinda like a favorite pair of pants. Like they'd worked hard... The rest of them are still on their ship at Kingston port..."

Xan scowled but he pulled off his gloves, knowing his hands were rather worn themselves. "Did they look like mine?" The cuts and scarring on his hands were clear as were the bones that looked like they were reset far too many times.

She glanced down at Xan's hands, gently taking one of his hands in hers as she traced the lines in his hands, and felt the roughness of his skin. " _Elek_... they looked a lot like yours, Xan.."

Xan looked at Ethan. "Well now.."

"It could go either way," Ethan told him. "If they do as they said, they might have hard-working hands too. Their ship is at Kingston, you said?"

Marin nodded. "Do you want me to come with you....?"

He nodded and looked to Xan. "We need to check it out...tomorrow, if not sooner."

Marin glanced at Ethan then. " _Me'ven_? Why the sudden concern? You think it might be part of a probe by J'oran?"

"There's only one way to find out."


	14. Chapter 14

**Cataan – not far from the Karrde residence**

Xan stepped forward from where he and Callista had been hanging back just outside the circle, he stood in the middle, nodded to Steffan, and took a deep breath. "Members of the Council," He said, his voice already tinged with the Force as he drew on the energy of those around him. "Open your minds and I will share with you my nightmare."

Myk-Ron reached out a hand and focused on Xan. Callista had told him of the technique the _Mando_ was now trying to use, and the Rogue was about to lend him a hand. Xan used the strength of those around him to power his vision, his perception, and his ability to project his vision into the minds of the Masters. Myk-Ron Dinn, for the first time since the battle with his clone nearly three years ago, fell completely into the chaotic beauty of the Force. The Conduit opened the floodgates and directed the tsunami to the waiting arms of Xan Qenadius.

The surge of energy nearly staggered Xan, but the Mando turned it and used it to fuel his urgency and his vision. Myk-Ron, meanwhile shielded himself and Arie from having to play witness to his nightmare once more

When it was finally over, one could have heard the heartbeat of a flitnat from twenty meters away. "That…that was _terrible_ ," Master Jinn had a hand to her forehead, and her eyes shut tight.

"An understatement, to be sure," Steffan spoke once more. "Thank you, Xan." The Mando looked a bit drained, but nodded, bowed, and resumed his place outside the circle with Callista. "It is a terrible vision," Steffan continued. "The question, though, is what do we do now?"

"A potent question at that," Streen finally spoke. Haggard and worn, the oldest living member of the Council leaned heavily on what appeared to be a gaffi stick. "This vision, while granting us a keener sense of urgency does little to point us in any direction; right or wrong."

"Indeed," Another Master added. "With so many threats out there, how do we decide which to focus our efforts on?"

"I've never been the biggest team-player," Myk-Ron spoke up. "But, I don't know if splitting our attention is the best idea either."

"Well, we need to do <em>something</em>," Chris-Tien said emphatically. "And, _soon_."

"That much, we can all agree on," Steffan nodded. "It is with that in mind, that I am making the following suggestions, and urging the council to back this strategy until a better one can take its place." There were nods of agreement all around, and the Rogue threw a wink at the black-haired Jedi. "First," Karrde began. "The Masters Dinn have volunteered to return to Coruscant in an attempt to root out whatever deception our New Republic counterparts have been playing at."

"Secondly, I am suggesting that the Masters Qenadius be sent into Hutt Space in order to determine what involvement the Hutts could have on the grander picture. Their contacts and intelligence expertise would be well suited for entry into the Hutts' domain. I am also requesting that they are given any and all support available to assist them in their mission."

"As to the Empire, I believe I may be of some use there. Despite having led this fine host on numerous occasions, I am still fairly unknown in most Imperial circles. We will need to… _borrow_ a few Imperial Starships, but I believe it is possible to insert a small team of Jedi into Imperial space. We need to gather all the information we can on their movements."

"Finally, I am hesitant to suggest anyone get near these Force wounds. We've already lost many with no explanation what-so-ever as to how or why. What I am suggesting is that in investigating these other issues, we will uncover a connection to the last. Someone somewhere must know what is happening. We only need to ask."

"We'll be heading back to Coruscant in twenty-four standard hours," Arie nodded next to Myk. "We'll get to the bottom of the New Republic's apparent lapse in ethics. I can get to Maxell easily enough, and, if all else fails, I can always have the Rogue ask… _hard_."

Myk-Ron cast the group a trademark grin, though he supposed it was probably lost on most of them.

"Good," Chris-Tien said. "I suppose the task at hand shall be dividing our resources between the three missions. I assume it would be safe to send the Dinns to Coruscant solo?"

"Aye," Arie answered for both of them. "We don't expect to run into trouble at home, though if we do, we know how to get in touch."

"Then it would seem," Streen spoke once more. "That we merely need to divide our attention between the Masters Qenadius and Karrde. If the other Masters will agree, I believe the expression is 'we are at your disposal'."

Unanimously, the Council agreed, and initial plans were laid to get things moving. It felt good to the Rogue to have a mission again. Even if he was just snooping around back home, having an objective put his mind at ease. The military man = in him never could stand having nothing to do. The meeting adjourned soon after, with all involved heading their separate ways. Arie and Myk said their goodnights and retreated back to the guest house to enjoy one last quiet evening. It was late on Cataan and the new day would be coming soon. With it, Myk-Ron feared, followed doom. The Rogue gazed at the stars as he and his Princess wound their way back along the forest path. _I'm still here,_ He thought to no one in particular. _Give me your best shot._

"Xan," Steffan started to say as several of the masters started to leave, "can you stay with us a moment?" Xan raised an eyebrow but nodded. "Just me or you want Calli as well?" He looked at Callista and mentally prodded her. _'You have any clue what this is about?'_ as they made their way towards the fire.

Callista frowned slightly, glancing at Chris-tien for a moment before she looked to Steffan. But neither council member betrayed anything. She shrugged and shook her head, settling on one of the boulders that ringed the firepit from a few feet back. _'I have no idea, cyar'ika..'_ she sent back.

"First things first," he said to them as he sat back down. "Chris and I both want to apologize for you two being out of the loop on what we have been doing as a council...especially with you doing so much on Coruscant."

"It's fine Master," Xan said, staying formal. "I'm as much to blame for that, not contacting the council all that often and all. Workload notwithstanding."

"Well, you've pulled the workload that one of us would," Chris-tien told him. "Perhaps even more so. We were talking after yesterday's meeting and would want to ask you if this communications problem would be helped by you being on the council."

 _That_ got Callista's attention, and she shared a look with Steffan for a moment, her eyes going wide.

He nodded softly and leaned back against the rock behind him.

Xan scowled. "Permission to speak freely here?" he said softly while inwardly cringing.

"By all means," Steffan said, throwing a piece of wood on the fire

He sighed and growled softly. "Are you out of your _kriffing_ minds!? Sure, it may solve communication issues, but you know as well as I do; I'm no diplomat." He was scowling heavily at Steffan now. "Why?"

"Well, it was thought that came to my mind last night," Steffan told him. "I don't pretend to understand how the Force works with things like this, Xan. But this council is not just for diplomats...I'm sure not considered a diplomat."

Callista couldn't hide the smile that touched her lips at Steffan's comment. She'd always considered him a diplomat, but in recent years, he'd become more of a warrior in his focus.

Xan ran a hand through his hair in frustration and gazed at the fire. "You are a better one then I am, Steffan. I mean look at what happened on the landing pad for Force's sake. My attempt to bring back Myk and Arie into the order nearly became a war on its own." He sighed and stood up to pace a bit, which showed how uncomfortable he was. "What could I possibly bring to Council, besides a new punching bag for my in-laws?"

Chris-tien snickered at that some and Steffan tried his best to hide a smile. "Xan, this isn't an appointment. It was only an idea and, trust me, no feelings would be hurt if you feel you're better suited elsewhere. And as far as being hot-headed, I'm sure this council, in its history, has had plenty of them."

Callista grinned a little there and shared a look with Chris-tien for a moment. She well understood Xan's frustration and confusion. After a moment's thought, she stood and laid her hand on Xan's shoulder. " _Cyar'ika_... isn't it better to be here where you can share directly? Hearing things secondhand can skew how people view a situation. I know you, you much prefer to take things head-on."

"That may be true, _cyar'ika_ , but..." He looked at Steffan again. "An idea?" He shook his head. "Surely there has to be more behind this idea than me bellowing and running into you lot like a blind sand panther on a bantha hunt?"

Steffan maintained an innocent look. "A thought that struck me last night… nothing more. I've not been scheming like a Hutt over the idea if that's what you wondering."

He barked out a short laugh. " _Osik_ , Steffan. You don't do things in half measures. I know you as well as you know me. You have to have some idea here."

Steffan looked to Chris-tien and Callista. "Okay, I was trying to make it sound innocent. The fact is, it was something I had been picking up on in meditation lately. Maybe something we need is another voice other than Myk's that's laced with the same hard-headedness and an outside opinion on matters. Having you be that voice was my first thought."

Callista grinned at Steffan's words. "He may be hardheaded, but I think it's needed. How else could he have gotten your attention so effectively?" Steffan answered just by motioning to her to emphasize his point.

Xan smirked a bit. "I can provide you with that but not everyone on council is as..." he stumbled for the right word here, "… _patient_ with such lines of thought."

It was Chris's turn to grin. "I think there it's a change we can make, Xan. Force knows we could probably use it."

Steffan looked back over at Chris with a knowing look before looking to Xan again. "As I said, it's not an appointment; you can turn it down if you feel you need to. And we don't need you to answer now, certainly, so you can think about it."

"Bah!" he growled again. "Trust you two to get my shields to drop and then drop a torp on me." He sighed again. "Y'know if it wasn't for this vision, I would've told you to stuff it." Turning his back to Chris-Tien and Steffan, he looked at Callista. "You know this means changes for both of us, _elek_?"

She nodded. "I think this is one for the better, though."

He shook his head again. "I can just see Myk's reaction now...remind me to keep a permanent stock of narcoleth handy." He smirked at his wife before turning back to face the other Masters. "Fine, your pet Mando has been brought to heel," he said, face neutral. "I accept."

Steffan looked to Chris-tien with a smile and stood up to walk over. "It could have been worse, Xan...I could've used _Blue Talon's_ main cannon instead of a torp, remember that." That got a laugh out of Chris. Callista giggled. "Don't even _threaten_ that Steffan, that's awful..." she told him between fits of giggles.

Xan glowered. "You mean I had the _option_?" He sighed, "Well now, I suppose we should discuss some plans here."

Steffan shrugged. "Would've meant the same ending."


	15. Chapter 15

**Cataan – Mountains surrounding the Karrde estate**

The crisp morning air was tinged with the heavy scent of pine and freshly fallen snow. Myk-Ron Dinn stood upon an open ledge about midway up the mountain behind the Karrde’s home. The peaks of the range shone in the early morning light, ever-white and crisp against a clear blue sky. At this elevation, summer would never truly arrive.

The ledge upon which the Rogue stood was expansive; large enough to land a space cruiser, in fact, and quite obviously man-made. The stone was smooth and flat, and the barest traces of long-gone structures could be made out in the rock. The Rogue imagined some ancient castle may have sat upon this very ledge, overlooking the valley below.

The sun had just crested the eastern horizon, and its warming rays had not yet reached his lofty height. There was a bite to the air, and a thin line of frost on the rock face just ten meters up from his ledge. Myk-Ron stood at the edge, the wall of the mountain a hundred meters behind him, with his eyes closed, and breathed deep the morning air. He allowed himself to fall into the river of the Force, and let its current flow freely through him. In its chaos, he found solace, and yet, when he allowed his senses to extend outward, he could feel the tremendous wounds. The Force itself cried out in pain and anguish, as an animal would if whole pieces of flesh were simply removed from its body. The Conduit could feel the jagged edges of each hole as though they were wounds in his own flesh, and the pain nearly caused him to stumble.

There was a hand on his shoulder, pulling him back from the ledge.

“Myk!” Callista cried in shock. “What are you doing?”

Myk-Ron quickly came back to himself and looked back to the ledge before smiling at Callista. “Just getting lost in my thoughts,” The Rogue smiled. “And testing your reflexes.”

“ _My_ reflexes?” Callista gasped, sweat beaded on her forehead and her breath was visible on the cool air. She had only just reached the landing upon which Myk stood. “Master Dinn, if you had fallen-“

“Calli,” Myk cut her off with a laugh. “My being on the Council doesn’t mean you have to call me ‘Master’ all the time now. And, if I had fallen, I would have caught myself. Turns out, I didn’t need to.”

“Y-you knew I was here?” Callista arched an eyebrow. “You sensed me coming?”

The Rogue nodded as he walked toward the center of the large ledge. He wore his black and grey Jedi tunic and pants as they were much warmer than his normal clothes, his cloak whipped on the wind.

“But, I had shut down my presence,” Callista said, confused. She too wore traditional Jedi attire; hers in various shades of tan and teal. Her dark hair had been tied back in a pony-tail, and her blue eyes searched the Rogue’s face. “How could you sense me coming?”

“That’s a lesson for another day,” Myk-Ron replied with a wink. “Today, we’re fighting. Understand today, and you’ll be closer to your answer.”

The Rogue found a suitable rock, took off his cloak, and set the small stone on top of it to keep it from blowing off the cliff with the wind. He turned to Callista, and unclipped his lightsaber from his belt. He found her staring at him with open bemusement.

“You’ve been spending too much time with Master Karrde,” She said. “You’re starting to speak in riddles as he does.”

Myk just shrugged. “Or maybe I’m just getting you flustered. You never know…”

“What-“ Callista started to ask. Her question died in a gasp as Myk simply appeared beside her, with his lightsaber lit and held to her throat. Callista hadn’t even seen him move. One second he was ten meters away, the next he stood less than an inch from her side. His left hand had her wrist, and his right had his blade held reversed and positioned just below her chin.

He shut down the blade, let go of her wrist, and backed away. “The first lesson,” He said. “If you can get your opponent distracted, do it, but don’t get distracted yourself.”

“I wasn’t exactly ready,” Callista had both her blades in hand now, and she shrugged her cloak off, letting the wind take it.

“And?”

“Point taken,” She said as she ignited her sabers, and assumed an en guard position. Her short blade was forward in her left hand, horizontal in front of her. Her long blade in her right she kept pointed at the Rogue. Her feet were shoulder-width apart, her center low, and her profile to her opponent. She’d not be taken off-guard again.

Myk grinned.

His silver blade leapt out, and he stalked toward her. Her breath caught at the electricity she saw dancing in his eyes. In a heartbeat he was on her again, his blade flashing left and right so fast she could only barely keep up, operating completely on the defensive. Each blow landed like a hammer, and his targeting kept her blades moving constantly to pick up each attack. Barely ten seconds had passed, and she could feel her arms tiring. _Left, right, left, right, left, right_. It was a pattern. She blocked left and low with her shoto, then moved to block high and right with the same blade while she swept her long blade through the air toward the Rogue’s neck. But, the high-right blow never came, and the Rogue was ducking her shot before she swung. Both blades were on her right for the barest of moments, but she knew in that instant that she was _kriffed_.

The initial impact was… _soft_ , somehow. And yet, she was lifted off her feet and flung toward the rock wall thirty meters back faster than a blaster bolt. Her eyes squeezed shut against the impact, but it never came. Finally, she opened them to find herself a hair’s breadth from the wall and floating gently down to the ground. Myk’s outstretched hand traced her movements until her feet found purchase on the stone.

“Lesson two,” He said. Though the distance between them was great and the wind howling, his voice seemed to be whispering in her ear. “Don’t follow your opponent’s rhythm. Break it. Kriff with the timing of the fight. Disrupt the flow, and off-balance your opponent. And, don’t be afraid to use whatever you have. In a friendly duel, you can follow the rules, fight honorably…whatever. But, in a real fight, you do what you have to. You win.”

She only nodded and set her feet. He, still thirty meters away, simply assumed an easy Form III stance. She charged.

Using the Force to enhance her speed, she crossed the distance in moments. Reaching the Rogue, she lashed out with everything she had. She varied her attacks, she gave him patterns then broke them, she stuttered her timing, and he continued to pick up every shot. Callista feinted high-right with her long blade and thrust toward Myk’s middle with her shoto. The Conduit pivoted on his right foot, Callista’s thrust sailing in front of his midsection. Her long blade continued its arc toward his neck, but he blocked the blade with his own held in his left hand while he grabbed her extended left wrist with his right. His hand enveloped hers in a three-quarter turn that nearly brought her own shoto into her chest. She dropped the hilt, and the blade went out. Still, the Rogue kept his hold and stepped into her. She dropped to her back, trying to roll with the joint-lock. She managed a backward somersault and came up on her feet again, but he still had her wrist. She pulled, and lashed out with her long blade at the same time but he caught that as well. Suddenly, however, none of that mattered as she found herself hanging several thousand feet over the edge of a cliff.

She looked up to see him holding her out over the edge with his right hand firmly around her left wrist. His brown hair had grown out a bit longer in the front. Still naturally rakish, it fluttered lightly in the wind. The ordeal that he and Arie had gone through had granted the Rogue a second chance at his youth. His face was smooth and hard, with the exception of the scar that ran along his left cheek and the ever-present stubble. But his eyes, his deep brown eyes, betrayed the decades of experience his true age bestowed. The knowledge of nearly a hundred years of fighting and training shone in the depth of his eyes as he stared down into Callista’s.

“Lesson three,” He winked at her. “Everything is your weapon to use; especially, the environment. You need to focus on your opponent, but not to the extent that you no longer sense your surroundings.”

As he spoke, Callista stretched her senses and found what she was looking for almost immediately. In the heat of the fight, her awareness had sharpened. It was as though the Force flowed more freely through her while she fought the Rogue. She found the hilt of her shoto in her mind’s eye and called it. It flew toward the back of Myk’s head, and he ducked it, letting go of Callista’s wrist.

Her stomach flew up into her throat as gravity took her. She dropped like so much stone, her shoto flying into her left hand as she fell. Using the Force, she nudged herself toward the rock wall and a small ledge just five meters down. Landing in a crouch, she gathered yet more Force energy into herself, and sprang upward. She could sense where Myk-Ron was, and, as she crested the lip of the ledge, she lashed out with both blades.

The Conduit backpedaled as he blocked both strikes. A wide smile played across his face as Callista continued her assault. She gained ground on the Rogue with every attack, forcing him back, forcing him to stay on the defensive. A small grin tugged at the corner of her cheek when she saw the first signs of sweat break out on his forehead. Her own robes and hair were nearly soaked already, but she didn’t care. Myk-Ron was sweating. She’d made him break a sweat.

In a heartbeat, however, her elation was replaced with shock and a small amount of pain. The Rogue somehow tied up both her blades in one block and rammed his left shoulder into her chest. Her hands flew out to her sides, in an attempt to break her fall, and her blades clattered across the stone ground.

“Lesson four,” The Rogue stood over her with his blade tip hovering just over her chest. “You haven’t won until you’ve won.” He extinguished his blade and stepped back a few paces.

Calli rolled to her feet and called both of her hilts back to her hands. Cautiously, she observed the Conduit. Her senses peaked; she could almost see the Force flowing into and through him. When she tried to find him within the stream, he vanished completely, melding into the Force and hiding within the very current itself. She could not read him, and so she was forced to rely on her physical senses to track his movements; a problem when he had already displayed the ability to move faster than human eyes could see.

But he wasn’t moving now. He observed her casually, and she could feel his subtle touch within the Force. “Final lesson for today,” He said. Again, it was as if his voice were inside her head. “You have to _let go_. You’ve been trained well. Trust in that training. Trust your body to know the movements. Trust your blades to know their attacks. Trust your instinct to read the fight. Make your mind a blank slate. Nothing exists but the fight. Don’t condense your world. Instead, expand it. Try to forget yourself, and simply flow along with the river of the Force. Don’t try to direct it; don’t put your preconceived notions onto it.”

“It seems you’re contradicting yourself, Myk,” Callista cast the Rogue an exasperated look. “Focus on the fight, but expand my awareness?”

“You’ll see,” The Rogue said, igniting his silver blade once more. “ _Let go._ ”

In an instant, he was on her, his eyes flashing with electricity and his blade becoming a nearly solid path of argent light. Callista barely had time to think. Myk pushed, and pushed hard. His attacks came in fast and varied, forcing her to act on instinct and trust in the Force. Her hands moved of their own volition, her feet, and her body flowing, dodging, ducking, advancing. It was an unfamiliar and exhilarating experience. It was almost as though she were observing herself from outside her body. She saw openings in Myk’s defense, and her blades leapt out to take advantage of them on their own. The feeling was fleeting though. Her elation brought her out of the flow. Her blades were suddenly swinging through open air, and Myk was nowhere to be seen. Her feet were swept from beneath her by Myk’s low kick, and she found herself on her back once more.

She sighed, looking up at the Rogue, her blades lying dormant at her side. She feared his disappointment but was surprised by the huge smile spreading across his face. He extinguished his blade, and clipped the hilt back onto his belt before reaching down to help her to her feet.

“That was excellent, Calli!” He said, beaming.

“Excellent?” She rubbed her back and knew she’d be hurting for most of the day after this. “I think I may have been able to ‘let go’ for all of a second.”

“I know,” He replied, still smiling broadly as he called his cloak to him and used it to wipe away the barest bit of sweat from his forehead. “You did incredibly well!”

“You’re – you’re not teasing me, are you?” Callista arched an eyebrow as she called her own cloak to herself. She had sweat dripping into her eyes, and used the bottom of the cloak to wipe some of it away. She’d need a shower when they got back down to the Karrde’s estate from the mountain.

“Not at all,” Myk-Ron shook his head as they made their way to the tiny mountain path that had led to the massive clearing in the stone. “You’re a quick study, and it seems to have paid off. Keep what I’ve taught you here in your heart, and you’ll do well.”

Callista nodded her thanks; she was still out of breath, and the mountain path was no easy trek.

“Hell,” The Rogue continued. “Find me again sometime. We’ll practice more. It feels…good to teach.”

“Oh?” Callista smirked. “My body is telling me that learning feels like pain.”

Myk just shrugged. “Best instructor _I_ ever had.”

* * *

Myk had just left to start his trek up the mountain; the sun had not yet risen, and Arie was sliding her boots on over a pair of black, slim-fitting utility pants. There were extra layers of durable fabric sewn into the knees and other key areas. She wore a brilliant blue tunic top, a shade darker than her icy blue eyes, and she had her hair pulled back into a pony-tail. She’d wrapped her wrists and her hands in black athletic tape.

She stood from the bed and strapped on her gun belt. In its holster was a new DT-12, modified for better accuracy and slimmed down to better fit her hand. On the opposite side hung her lightsaber. Quietly, she slipped out of the guest house.

Stretching in the darkness before dawn, relishing the hint of pine floating on the cool morning air, she prepared herself mentally for what was to come. Xan really wanted that fight. Though his original intentions irked her, she could see that the Mando still had more than his share of steam to burn off. Maybe the sparring match would be good for him. Maybe her son-in-law could actually try to relax afterward.

Arie shook her head, and rolled her shoulders a bit, working out the last vestiges of sleep. They’d picked a clearing in the woods just south of the Karrde estate. She knew the spot. Years ago, her husband had fought and killed a Cataani Guildsman there. The Claymore he’d planted still stood at the head of an exceptionally green mound of grass. Xan didn’t know that, of course. Even Arie hadn’t known about that particular incident until well after the fact, but those had been…different times.

She took off at a brisk jog across the grass, and toward the path into the woods. As she ran, she began to let herself fall into the Force. Within herself, she could feel the Phoenix stirring. Battle was imminent, and the fiery bird was stretching its wings and its talons in excited preparation. Arie reined it in a bit, and the fire behind her icy blue eyes cooled. Not yet, Arie thought to herself. She knew Xan would be a tough opponent, but she didn’t want to bring the full brunt of the Phoenix to bear on him. He was, after all, her son-in-law. It wouldn’t do to come back without anything but a charred helmet for Callista.

Though the sun had finally crested the horizon, the clearing was still mostly dark when Arie arrived. The trees lining the edges kept the circle in the cool darkness of morning just a few minutes longer. Arie walked to where the claymore stood, planted firmly in the ground, and rested a hand on the pommel. The metal was cool to the touch, but, as she slid her hand down onto the grip, she could almost feel the warmth and strength of her husband’s hands.

“What’s with the ancient blade?” A gruff voice said from behind her.

Arie turned to see Xan entering the clearing from the opposite direction. The Mando was in full _beskar’gam._ His voice, while gruff, was tinged with the electronic sound of his helmet’s com system. Two rippers sat on his hips, holstered in what looked like extensions of his leg plates. His black and red armor shone in the early morning light, as though he’d cleaned it just that morning. Arie arched an eyebrow, shrugged and regarded Xan easily.

“Just a memento from not as long ago as you’d think,” she said, unclipping her lightsaber hilt. “You ready for this?”

“More than you know, probably,” Xan replied, reaching behind his back and drawing his own hilt.

A feral grin spread across Arie’s face, the Phoenix eagerly flexed its talons. Her blade sprang to life, its hue the same as her eyes. The light from the weapon in the early morning light cast her features in cold determination. The sounds of the woods died away suddenly, and all of Cataan seemed to hold its breath.

For an eternity, it seemed, the two stood fifteen meters apart.

Outside their clearing, a twig snapped beneath the weight of a small woodland rodent, and with a crack like lightning, Arie sprang into action. She crossed the distance in a heartbeat, aiming for a cut that would split Xan from left hip to right shoulder if her blade wasn’t dialed down to its lowest setting. As it was, if she connected, the Mando would be bruised, but alive.

Xan quickly ignited his own saber, and barely had time enough to get it in front of Arie’s upward swing. The Force of the blow shocked him, not taking him off his feet, but staggering him back a few paces. How she generated such power from such a small frame was beyond him, but he had little time to ponder the anomaly. Arie’s attacks came in with dizzying speed and ferocity. Her form wasn’t as flashy or artistic as some, but her technique was perfect.

Xan blocked high and outside with his blade held in his right hand, while he swept his left in a vicious back-fist through the air where Arie’s head had been moments before. She’d ducked under his arm and come up on his right side. The Mando snaked a booted foot between her legs, and slammed his right shoulder into Arie’s chest. She fell back with the blow, almost before it landed, and as her body fell back, her right foot came up and caught Xan below the chin.

The force of her kick finally did lift him off his feet. His shoulders hit first, and he allowed momentum to carry him into a backward roll. He came up on his feet with his blade held in a defensive position across his chest. He nodded vigorously to readjust his helmet as it had slid up a bit with the impact. Arie had regained her footing, and charged in on him once more.

Xan knew he’d have to pull out the stops on this fight, and the smile behind his helmet stretched nearly from ear to ear. She was a warrior; more like him than he could have guessed. She and the Rogue both presented such a calm front to the galaxy, but beneath it all, they reveled in combat. He’d found a worthy opponent, one he could truly test himself against. He wouldn’t waste the opportunity.

* * *

“What do we do with Evelina, Rogue?” Arie asked as she helped Myk-Ron load the last of their luggage onto the _Firebird_ for the return trip home. “I know Jade would take good care of her, but, with Xan’s vision, I’m not sure Cataan is going to remain the safest place in the galaxy for long.”

“I don’t think anywhere is going to remain safe for long, Gorgeous,” Myk shrugged as he strapped down the last of their luggage. He turned to find Arie leaning against the curved wall of the corridor aboard the _Firebird_. She cast the Rogue a look.

“You’re not helping,” She said, arms crossed. Her long auburn hair hung freely past her shoulders and on down her back. Her icy blue eyes gazed softly at her husband. She wore a slim-fitting blue tunic with a plunging neckline and black trousers that hugged her legs. Black nerf-hide boots rode up to mid-calf, her tiki blade tucked neatly in a sheath in the left boot. Her lightsaber hung on her gun-belt opposite a newer model DL.

“I know,” Myk said, crossing to her and kissing her lightly on the cheek. He headed down the corridor toward the boarding ramp with Arie following. “Maybe we take her with us…everywhere. The kid’s got a gift for hearing what people don’t want to be heard. Maybe she could actually help us read Maxell. Find out what he’s hiding…”

“Myk-Ron!” Arie admonished the Rogue. “If he’s thinking what I think you think he’s thinking, I don’t want Evelina to hear any of it.”

“You think?” Myk arched an eyebrow at his wife.

Arie punched him the shoulder and shoved him toward the path from the landing pad to the Karrde estate. “I’m trying to be serious, here, Laser-brains.”

“Sorry, your highness,” Myk raised both his hands. “I just don’t have a good answer for you. My opinion; we keep her close. I know I’d feel better knowing she was with either you or me at all times.”

“That much, I can agree on,” Arie said as they neared the wrap-around porch of the Karrde’s main house. Evelina could just be seen through the den window, hugging her stuffed taun-taun as she watched a new holovid with the other kids. “But, I don’t want her anywhere near Maxell.”

“I was just joking, sweetheart,” Myk said, leaning back against the railing. “Poor kid’s gonna be upset we can’t stay here longer.”

“Yeah,” Arie sighed, leaning into Myk’s arms. “Which one of us gets the joyful job of telling her?”

Myk reached into his pocket and fished out a cred coin. “Flip ya for it?”

“You’re on,” Arie winked.

* * *

Myk had lost the coin-toss. He chuckled again over his wife’s clear use of the Force to alter the outcome. He sat in the pilot’s chair aboard the _Firebird_ , and gazed out at the mottled sky of hyperspace. They had said their goodbyes only an hour ago, and Evelina was already fast asleep in her bed in the Captain’s quarters. The tiny vibrations of the ship as it flew through hyperspace soothed her as it did her father. Myk smiled at that. Hurtling through space toward yet another galactic crisis, the Conduit, the Phoenix, and their daughter were surprisingly content.

“We’ve got each other,” Arie said, reading the Rogue’s thoughts from the co-pilot’s seat. “As long as that’s true, I’m happy.”

“Me too, Princess,” Myk nodded. “Me too.”


	16. Chapter 16

**The praxeum - the morning following the council meeting**

The horse was slow going up the hill. Jarod couldn't really blame it, for it had been a long ride from Kingston. The shuttle he had chartered from his home was unfamiliar with the system and Jarod had no concern to land in Kingston and so saw to one of the stables outside the port city and was provided with a mount that he had come to thoroughly enjoy. He had taken great care of the horse on the night that he had to bed down to rest before finishing the trip to Edmonton. A speeder could have been taken, but he was more used to horseback from all his time at home and at the praxeum. He had been a Jedi Knight for only a few years now and wore the traditional brown robes, vest and trousers but wore a grey kimono. He felt better when he walked through the main gates of the praxeum and dismounted, rubbing the horse's neck and whispered thanks to him as he started to walk him towards the old monastery's stables.

Marin was just coming out of the stairwell to the dormitory, a small pack over her shoulder. She wore plain clothes in place of her usual tunics. Her saber hung from her belt, but her twin DE-10's were absent. They'd been stowed in her pack for now. She'd opted for her knives instead, not knowing the situation they'd end up in once they reached the ship at Kingston port. She knew the delegates meant no harm... _but what of the other colonists?_ That thought nagged at her as she started across the courtyard on her way to meet Xan and Ethan at the house.

Jarod walked the horse into the stall and started to undo the saddle and start to set it on the door to the stall when he saw her walking across the courtyard with a pack over her shoulder. "Going somewhere?" he called out, catching her attention. He didn't have a chance to let everyone know he was on his way back to Cataan.

Marin whirled, a grin blossoming across her face. She hadn't seen him in months. He'd been off on this or that mission, barely any time to rest. "Jarod!" She was across the courtyard before his name had fully left her lips, her pack slipping to the paving stones as she buried her face in his chest. She was silent a moment before she answered his question. " _Elek_.... I'm meeting Ethan... we're going to Kingston port before we head out for my _verd'goten_..."

"Really," he asked as he laughed from the sudden rush and hug. "I just came from there, as a matter of fact." He grinned and finished putting up all the tack gear from the horse and started to rub the horse down. "So, your trial, eh? I only ask one thing, _Mar'ika_."

His use of her familiar name caused her to stop and look up at him. " _Elek, Jar'ika_...?" She asked softly as she leaned up against the stall gate.

He smiled and walked over to kiss her softly then went back to rubbing the horse down. "Come back safely."

She clung to his hand a moment before he started rubbing the horse down again. "I'll do my best." She was silent for a moment. "I'm going to check out some colonists that came from Telos. I spoke with the delegates day before yesterday, and felt no malice from them.... but _Et'ika_ 's convinced something's up. So we're going to have a look around the ship that's moored at Kingston..." She chewed her lip. "They want to settle on the Tanagis moon..."

That got Jarod's attention and he nodded as he thought about what she had told him. "Ethan has a lot of experience...and I suppose that nothing can be left to chance right now with Death Watch or anyone else right now." He finished up with the horse and gave him a handful of oats as thanks for the journey and started to be ready to close the stall door after she walked through. "And I know that I can't come along with this."

She frowned. " _Xan'ika_ 's given me my _verd'goten_... I'm to find a way to take care of the _Kyr'tsad_ incursions into Cataani space... for good..." She stepped from the stall and leaned on his shoulder. "I know. I just can't help feeling that this might very well be one of the hardest things I've ever done. _Kyr'tsad_ doesn't give up easily."

"Neither do you," Jarod reminded her. "You certainly proved that when Ethan tested you. How is that old sand panther, anyway?"

She grinned. "A bit worse for wear, but he's alright. Apparently, one of his last missions for Xan didn't end quite like he thought it would." She shrugged and tucked a few loose strands of hair behind her left ear as she picked up her pack. "How long are you here...?"

"I don't know," he told her. "Master Karrde asked me to report on how things have settled on my home after the task that Ryneas and I undertook there. After that, I don't know if I'm to be given another assignment soon or given time to rest. I've been hearing rumors of a lot happening."

She nodded. "According to Xan.... besides the _Kyr'tsad_... The Blackhawks are off on patrol. The pirate activity's been rampant lately... even here." She wasn't sure how much she could tell him.

"Well, I'm sure to be told what I need to know," he said with a smile as he walked over to pick up her pack from the paving stones of the courtyard walkway. "I know you'll be gone for a time, but how soon do you have to be gone for Kingston?"

"I was to meet Ethan at 0900. It's 0800. It won’t take me long to reach the Karrde's either, so I have some time." She eyed him for a moment. "What did you have in mind...?" she asked with a half-smile.

"Just some time together," Jarod said as he traced her cheek. "I'll walk with you to their home. I can report to the master there."

Marin nodded, not protesting when he took up her pack. It wasn't heavy. She slipped her fingers into his as they turned towards the praxeum gates. "I'm glad you're back safe..."

"As am I," he said as they walked out through the gates. "Things have settled down quite a bit at home, thankfully. But I saw quite a bit of movement when my shuttle got into the system."

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

He looked up to the sky for a moment as they walked. "The entire fleet's deploying, from the looks of things."

Marin nodded. " _Lek_.... there's been several attempts to breach our borders... and not just by _Kyr’tsad_..." She sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. "I was hoping to get the Blackhawks to help with _Kyr'tsad_ , but they've already shipped out. I don't know what else is going on. Master Karrde or Xan could tell you more than I could."

He nodded as they walked. "How were your studies with Andrea while I've been away?"

"It's been... interesting. Andrea's been handling a lot more diplomatic duties... some of which I got to help out with. I'm really starting to settle in and get my saber forms down, I'm finding myself more suited for Shien..." She smiled a little. "I've also been working with Ethan a lot on the more _Mando'ad_ skills."

"Been able to consistently hit your knives on the center target when you practice your throwing?" he asked as they walked. He had noticed them on her belt with her lightsaber.

That got a grin from her. " _Elek_... I have. " She glanced down for a second. "I have my DE-10's with me, but I've also got a few smaller weapons, including a holdout blaster and my knives. I wanted to be prepared for tight quarters in case something happens…"

"Aye," he said as he hefted her pack. "I thought the DE-10's were heavier than this, but I guess I was wrong."

She smirked a little. "They aren't very heavy." She sighed. "I just don't know. Xan set this as my _verd'goten_... it seems like a lot. I won't be alone though."

"Something like this, I would hope he wouldn't. But then again, Master Xan does tend to surprise a lot of us on several occasions."

She grinned. " _Elek_ , he's good for that at least…"

"Aye," he said with a smile of his own as they rounded a corner.

She shrugged and smiled at him, looking up as they came around the bend in the trail. The Karrde's home spread out before them, the sun just starting to climb higher in the sky.

* * *

**Cataan – Kingston Port**

“She should be here in just a little while,” he heard as he moved down the corridor. “Wanted to show us the limits of what we agreed to.”

“She’s coming on board with a friend of hers,” the other said. “I think it’s her guardian, but you can never be sure unless it’s told to you.”

 _So…they were going to have company._ He kept going down the corridor of the transport ship to the quarters he shared with his fellow _Kyr’tsad_.

“There may be a problem,” he said as he made sure the door was locked behind him.

“What kind of ‘problem’?” the other asked as he looked out the viewport.

“The girl that they had to negotiate with to settle on the moon is coming onboard with another to travel with us to the site.”

“Maybe it won’t be a problem as you’re thinking.”

* * *

“I'd probably say keep your senses open for the whole time we're on this tub," Ethan said as they stepped off the air shuttle that brought them to the Kingston spaceport.

Marin nodded and looked over at Ethan as she readjusted her weapons belt. She wore a plain tunic, and her hair was braided down her back. Her fingers brushed her DE-10's. She'd decided to wear them on her belt, but kept her knives handy. She couldn't shake a nagging feeling that pulled at the back of her mind. Ever since Ethan had voiced his concern, she'd been watchful.

Ethan kept with simple attire himself and had his blaster on the right side with a vibroblade in its sheath on the other side of the belt and he kept extra weapons hidden. "Even if there's one or two of those scumbags onboard, they've had enough time to study what they can of the system layout. I'm not liking it."

“Me either..." Marin said softly as she studied the lines of the ship. It was an older freighter; she could see the peeling paint and the scorch marks from blaster bolts. "We know the delegates. I don't think any of them are _Kyr’tsad_... maybe the passengers...." She frowned and took mental stock of the weapons she had with her. Her DE-10's were visible, as was her saber, but her knives were hidden in her tunic.

"We should have plenty of time to check everyone out," he said as he looked over the ship. "This rust bucket probably can't be fast in hyperspace."

"We're glad to have you with us," the one that was in charge of the expedition said from the top of the boarding ramp. "We were fixing to leave within the hour. And this is?" He asked as he gestured to Ethan.

Marin glanced sideways at Ethan for a moment, as she pondered. "This is Ethan, my guardian,” she said, not elaborating. She didn't give a last name.

"Good to meet ya." Ethan said kindly enough as he hefted his pack and started to walk with her up the boarding ramp. "Marin told me what was happening and thought I'd check it out too."

Marin hid a smile as she caught the hidden meaning in Ethan's words. She nodded at the man who stood at the top of the ramp as she followed Ethan through the hatch. If she remembered correctly, the man's name was Aronn. She felt him slip around Ethan to lead the way down the somewhat cramped corridors, talking as they went.

Once they got squared away, Ethan set his pack down and looked over at Marin. "Well," he told her, "they're not from Telos...but from the accent and dress, they're from the same system."

With a sigh, Marin sank down next to him on the bunk and leaned her shoulders against the wall. She held up her hand for a moment and closed her eyes, scanning for listening devices in the Force. She found one. Reaching out in the Force, she pulled it off the wall and dropped it to the deck, smashing it with her foot. "Now then..." she said after a moment's silence. "Why would they lie to us about that? The Cataani nor the Republic has a quarrel with anyone of the Telosian system as far as I know..."

"As I said, they're probably from the same system," he told her as he checked his blaster. "I've been through there before and they have a couple of planets that are habitable. These may be a bunch from one of those other planets. We'll be able to find it out."

She nodded and checked the charge on her DE-10's. _Full_. The lightsaber Andrea had given her rode her left hip, and she brushed it with her fingers. _Souvrin's saber_. She let out a small sigh. Perhaps one day she'd get to build one of her own. But for now, they had a mission. Her lips quirked. "Well, we can't exactly just go around asking questions. They'd get suspicious. It's a good bet if there are _kyr'tsad_ on board, they know we're here."

"Know we're here, probably," he said as he pulled out a portable datapad and started to punch up a few commands into it and started to look through the results. "But if they know just who we are, that is another question."

She raised an eyebrow and peeked over his shoulder to watch for a moment. "I know J'oran was able to keep tabs on _buir_... but something tells me this isn't J'oran. I almost get the feeling he assigned a few of his men. If the delegates knew who I was, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch for the _kyr'tsad_ to find out." She frowned. "You've managed to stay off the radar well enough, so I don't think they know who you are.”

"Nice thing when those I don't want to know who I am either don't find out.... or...." He shrugged. "Well, I haven't taken innocent blood yet. There...got their previous flight paths."

She grinned a little and leaned over his shoulder to look. "This freighter’s been around a bit... Telos.... " She frowned as she read the next entry. "What would they have stopped on Dac for?"

"Did they say where all they had explored?" he asked as he looked over the chart.

"Just the southern hemisphere. The northern hemisphere is too rocky and mountainous for their needs." She grinned a little. "Though I'm wondering what kind of defenses _buir_ put on the house... he never told me. I almost want someone to try so I can find out..."

“Not how I'd want to check it right now," Ethan said as he kept looking through the flight records. "Well, everything on this side of things checks out. Guess we get to see how well your perception will be."

Marin smiled a bit nervously. " _Elek_... it should be... _enlightening_." She took a few slow breaths to center herself. "Ready as I'll ever be. "Let's find us some _kyr'tsad_..."

"How much time do you need to meditate and search through everyone?"

She thought a moment. "There are only about fifty colonists, so it shouldn't take long..." She sat down again. "Did you by chance get a schematic?" she asked, pointing to his datapad.

Ethan grinned and pulled it up for her. "I'm not great slicer, but Andrea and one of the others on the high council were able to set up this datapad for me."

With a grin and a shake of her head, Marin took the datapad from him. "You might as well sit back down while I do this... it might take a bit..." She fiddled with the controls for a moment until she had a passenger manifest up alongside the schematic. With a little more fiddling, she got the list to overlay on the schematic, showing which cabin each passenger was assigned to.

"That's why I came prepared," he told her as he pulled a stone from the pack and another blade to start sharpening.

She just grinned at him and balanced the 'pad on her knees as she let her eyes fall closed. Her finger drifted down the passenger list slowly as she focused on each passenger one at a time. Most of them had the same feeling Aronn did.... the desire to start anew. But two of them she couldn't get a good read on. The names were odd, too. A frown creased her forehead as her finger stopped on the first of the two names. _Ram Kota_. That was most definitely _not_ a Telosian name.

Her finger slid on down the list... All were normal until she hit another odd name _Dar’Werda_.... she knew what that meant. _No longer in the shadows_. Not very original for one who was trying to hide. She got that same odd feeling... _elusive_. As if the two knew how to shield themselves, but not well. Her eyes fluttered open, and she looked down at the schematic. The two shared a cabin one deck down from her current location. Cabin 121-C. She looked at Ethan. "I think we got 'em...." She pointed out the two names on the passenger manifest.

Ethan finished honing the edge of his knife and looked over the list. "When do we go after them?"

Marin frowned. "I'd say now, but we wouldn't have anywhere to...stash them. We're in hyperspace. And I don't want to start a firefight on the ship if we can avoid it." She set the 'pad down on the bunk and scrubbed her face with her hands. "But we do need to corner them and deal with them."

"We have no way of knowing if they're armed, _Mar'ika_ ," he told her as he sheathed his knife and checked his blaster again. "And as you said, this is pretty tight quarters for a firefight, so what do you think?"

"If we wait til we get dirtside, it would give us more room to maneuver. I think once we get the laying of ground rules out of the way with the colonists?" She frowned and sighed. Part of her wanted to just get it over with now, but she knew that would put the safety of the other colonists at risk.

"Well, we do have one thing working for us if we go dirtside," Ethan said as he checked a few other weapons.

She grinned a little. "We know the terrain better than anyone..."

"We _should_ ," he answered with a grin as he closed his pack. "And we'll have some backup once we get there."

"We will....?" she asked, a note of curiosity in her voice as she cinched the closure on her own small pack. She carried a change of clothes, water and rations... as well as a few other weapons and spare power packs for her DE-10s in case they were needed.

He grinned and gave her a soft hug. "I called in a few favors. Taylon's unit is already there under camo."

That got her to smile. "We could use the help. There's no telling what those two have with them..."

"And I imagine Jarius' old unit would _love_ to be in on this."

Her smile turned slightly predatory for a moment. " _Elek_ , I imagine they would.." she said softly. She glanced at the chrono readout on the datapad. "We're getting close.."

"Then let's do it."

* * *

**Tanagis V**

Things had settled in nicely at first. Marin had shown the group most of the lower half of the moon as they flew overhead to a clearing that they had picked out for their landing site. After making sure everything was secured, she had walked with them around the area to study the terrain and how they could best use the resources there. They were returning to the ship when she looked and saw Ethan standing there waiting for them. He was dressed in civilian utility pants, boots, a light shirt for the warm air and his equipment pack was over his shoulder.

“They’ve headed out,” he told Marin as he looked over the others.

“Who has ‘headed out’?” Aronn, the expedition leader asked as he looked around. “We’ve sent exploration teams in all directions.”

“What about the two that were bunked in room 121-C, the deck just below ours?” Ethan asked him with that look that Marin knew so well on his face.

“What about those two?” he asked again as he looked at Marin. “Milady, what is happening here?”

Marin frowned for a moment, but it passed almost before Aronn saw it. Her face calmed once more into a look of determination as she shared a pointed glance with Ethan, measuring how much to tell them. "Those two men are wanted criminals, Aronn. They shouldn't be here. I'd suggest, next time you take on passengers - check their credentials a little more closely. But you needn't concern yourself. We'll handle it. Do not, _under any circumstances_ contact them." As she said this, she pulled her DE-10's and checked the charge, making a show of flipping the selector to stun.

“Your utilities still in your cabin?" Ethan asked as he pulled the parts of his carbine out of his pack and he set the upper into place before he grabbed a magazine of stun darts out.

Marin grinned at him and shook her head, pulling her tunic off to expose her utilities underneath. She did the same with her trousers. " _Buir_ taught me to always be prepared," she said softly, her fingers tracing the tags around her neck for a moment as she stuffed the clothing into the pack she carried. She pulled a bandana from her pocket and tied her hair back before shouldering her pack again. She could see Aronn watching them for a moment, and she looked to Ethan.

"Good," Ethan said as he pulled the charging handle to load a dart and checked his optics. "Then let's get going. Gentlemen, if you'll excuse us. You have a colony to build and we've got two scumbags to catch."

Marin grinned a little and shrugged in Aronn's direction. "Better that we catch them now before they do any damage; to equipment or anyone else." With that, she checked the straps on her holsters and turned to follow Ethan. The pockets in her utilities held spare power packs for the DE-10's.

"There's too many tracks around here for me to pick theirs up," Ethan told her as they started at a fair clip. "You'll have to use your senses at first until we get further out."

"Alright..." Marin said softly as she walked beside him. Her growth spurt allowed her to keep up with him easily now. She took a deep breath and let her eyes fall halfway closed. She could navigate the forests of the Tanagis moon blindfolded if she had to. She let out the breath slowly, and reached into the Force.

She felt Ethan beside her, his fierce determination... and controlled anger burning in his gut. She reached out further and felt the small pinpricks of the forest animals. Still further, until she came across that same elusive feeling that she'd had of Ethan when she first met him. Her forehead creased in a frown as she focused in. Yup, there were two of them. Her eyes opened slowly. "Two klicks northeast of us, and moving slowly.... almost as if they’re looking for something...."

* * *

“Are you seriously using that scanner like we’re _supposed_ to?” ‘Kota’ asked as he looked over at his partner while they were walking.

“Relax. I’m not saving the data,” ‘Dar’werda’ answered as he slowly passed the scanner side to side. “But I am checking for any surprises ahead of us.”

“That’s why I like sneaking up from behind sometimes…”

They both turned around to see Ethan standing there with his carbine at the ready and aiming it towards them. The girl that they knew had tagged along was with him as well, one hand on a DE-10.

“Howdy, boys,” Ethan said as he kept his aim steady. “Kinda outside the range that they wanted to cover today, isn’t it?”

“We didn’t know we’d gone so far, actually,” ‘Kota’ said passively. “We were just going to…”

“You know,” Ethan interrupted him. “If I didn’t know who you two really were, I’d just about believe that horse _osik_. But picking the name of an old Jedi and using a word from my language just isn’t a sign of a clever mind when it comes to cover names.”

‘Kota’ and ‘Dar’werda’ shared a look that answered his questions, but still attempted to look innocent. “Sir, I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Then maybe this will remind you,” Marin said as she showed the two the patch she kept on her equipment vest.

It did the trick. The two recognized the symbol immediately and split, both diving for wooded cover and Ethan didn’t have enough time to redirect a shot in.

“Damn if they didn’t just fool my aim there,” he said as he ran up to where they stood and looked over their tracks. “Marin, these are serious guys…their boots aren’t making much of an impression. Can you track them?”

“Like you have to ask?”

“Good,” Ethan said as he removed the magazine of stun darts from his carbine and then took the upper part of the weapon off and placed them in his equipment pack. He then pulled a different upper part that fit into the lower half that was mainly the stock and trigger assembly.

“A blaster assembly?” Marin asked as she watched him assemble the weapon.

“Who taught you the true meaning of being prepared?”

“ _Buir_ , of course.”

“I taught _him_ ,” Ethan said as he pulled out a power cell that was the same size as the stun dart magazine and slammed it into place before he pulled the charging handle. “Now, we hunt for _real_.”

Marin and Ethan moved off into the dimness of the trees, guided by Marin's sense of their quarry in the Force. She knew Taylon's Marines were nearby, but she paid them no mind, intent to stay on her quarry. The two of them made careful progress as they crept ever closer to the two _kyr'tsad_. Marin told Ethan with a series of hand signals that she planned to take to the trees. She could tell they were getting close. The next instant, she vanished soundlessly into the branches of the tree above them, skulking along the branch before she leaped to the next one.

She was crouched on the limb, looking down at the forest floor. And then she saw it. A flash of movement. One of the _kyr'tsad_ was slinking through the underbrush - and doing a decent job of it. But she was better. She'd grown up in this forest. She felt Ethan close by - almost directly beneath her and looked to him for a moment as she carefully slid her DE-10 free of its holster.

"Come on, boys," Ethan said as he tracked along the path that he had seen some movement on and fired a few shots further along the trail and looked to see if there would be any reaction. "You could at least make us work up a sweat here." He knew he was half exaggerating in his statement, but he could hear faint footsteps and he kept up at a modest pace, picking it up into a run as he could get a bearing on them. Occasionally, he stopped and sent a few more shots downrange to herd them.

Marin crouched on a tree branch above, a few meters down the trail. She could feel the two moving through the underbrush. Her trigger finger twitched in anticipation as she laid her finger along the trigger guard and sighted along the barrel of her DE-10. _There!_ She saw a flicker of movement. She squinted a bit, reaching out with the Force as she tightened her finger on the trigger. A bolt of light leaped from the emitter and zipped through the trees. She heard the muttered curse and the muffled thump as her target fell to the forest floor, pain radiating off of him in the Force.

Ethan stopped where he was at the sound of the pistol's firing and looked towards Marin for a moment to get the bearing from her.

She signaled to him, pointing to her eyes with two fingers, and then off to her left, tapping her ear. _Listen for them,_ was her message. She could still hear the faint rustling and hissed curses as she began moving quietly in the indicated direction.

Ethan nodded and motioned where he had been following the second and kept on down the line. The woods in this part were starting to get denser, so he used his left-hand grip on the carbine to draw it to his left side on the weapon strap and drew his blaster pistol with his right and brought his left, vibroblade in hand up to the grip as he kept a steady pace after the second.

Marin kept track of him in the Force, scanning with her eyes and her senses as she closed in on the first. She knew Taylon's Marines were about, but so far, they'd left the hunt to the two Mandos. _'Probably want to see how we do...'_ Marin thought momentarily with a grin as she palmed one of her knives. He was close....

The two tried to quietly meet back up for a moment. Both of them were panting from the sudden running and evasion they were both doing. "Damn that kid," 'Kota' said as he checked his leg that was grazed. "How much further we have to get?"

"Just over the next rise," 'Dar'werda' told him as he looked around. "Come on, quietly."

Ethan paused from the lack of sound and checked all around him to see if he might have missed something before he looked towards Marin again.

Marin stopped and left her eyes drift closed for a moment as she searched in the Force. They were close indeed. She frowned slightly. They'd gotten back together. She pointed to the left again, and down, meaning they were crouching, and then signaled that she knew there was a small hill nearby. _'Could they corner the two before they made it to the break in the trees?'_

Ethan thought about it and motioned for her to stretch her senses out to see if she could pick up the Marines that were waiting.

She held up a finger and crouched, reaching out again before she nodded and pointed to several positions around their location without a word.

He nodded and mouthed the words 'drive them' to her before he started to walk slowly along the direction she had pointed out for the two's current spot.

With a nod, she rose slightly from her crouch amid the leaves and moved off at an angle to Ethan, looping around behind the two's hiding spot. Over the years, and with Andrea's training, she'd gotten better at hiding herself in the Force, and with projecting - like she had during that training with Ethan so long ago. She breathed out and crouched under the low-hanging branches of a tree, reaching out again.

In her mind, she saw the two men, crouching in the underbrush a few dozen meters away. She took the image of herself crouching and projected it outward, placing it between the two _Kyr'tsad_ and Ethan. She made it stand up, ensuring that they would see her as she moved off.

"They're coming in again," 'Kota' said as he heard the footsteps moving up again.

"Come on, we've got the next ridge," 'Dar'werda' said as he stayed low and started to move again at a moderate speed, doing his best to stay low and quiet as they headed towards the top. Once they got there, he pulled his glasses and scanned the next area. "If we can keep it up just a bit longer," he told 'Kota' as they started down the hill, "we should be free and clear."

"I wouldn't count on that," they heard in front of them. The voice caught them off guard, as did the dozen plus figures that emerged from the brush in front of them. All of them were pointing blaster carbines at them as Ethan and Marin reached the top of the ridge from the other side.

"Let us do all the flushing, huh?" Ethan asked with a grin as he holstered his pistol and blade, bringing his own carbine back into play.

Marin smirked slightly and shook her head, slipped her knife back in its sheath as she palmed her lightsaber hilt. She knew better than to underestimate these two after the chase.

* * *

'Kota' woke up and tried to blink his eyes. His respect for his 'partner' was starting to wane somewhat when he decided he would try to make a move earlier. It earned them both being hit by stun bolts and he was just now coming around. Trying to move, he noticed that he was tied and he looked after he opened his eyes and found he was bound to a good-sized tree.

"Ah, you're waking up," Ethan said as he walked over and knelt down. "Good, means I don't have to do it for you."

'Kota' looked up to his captor and took in the situation. The Marines had set up an encampment right where they were captured. He could see the signs of a fire that had been burning for a while; judging by the number of hot coals that were there already. It told him that he had been out for several hours at least. But what really caught his attention was a flat rock that was sitting there with several rods on it along with a knife or two...with their tips in the coals of the fire.

Ethan followed his gaze to the campfire. "Oh yeah, I see what got your attention now," he said as he looked back to 'Kota'. "I figured I'd have some things ready just in case you two thought about giving me a hard time."

Marin watched the exchange from a few feet away as she sharpened her knives. She knew that they had to get information from the _kyr'tsad_. But could it be done without walking in Darkness? She knew _Et'ika_ was no _Jetti_ , but her training and her oath to Master Karrde bound her that she would never walk the path of Darkness. _But could she keep that promise?_ She could feel the anger simmering inside as her gaze settled on 'Kota' for a moment before she went back to her task.

"And don't worry about your friend, either," Ethan told him as he noticed that he was still looking around. "With the serum I use in my tranq rounds, he's going to be out for several more hours. Now," Ethan said without any kind of preamble as he drew a knife from his belt, "I need you focused." He jammed the knife downward faster than 'Kota' could react; the _kyr'tsad_ yelled as the blade sunk into the muscles of his thigh.

"You focused now?" Ethan said as he held the man's head by the hair. 'Kota' was gritting his teeth and breathing hard from the pain of the strike, his gaze burning into Ethan’s.

"Good, you're focused and handling it pretty well," Ethan told him. "You start answering me straight and you won't have to deal with a lot more like that."

'Kota' spat a rather strong _Mando'a_ curse at him, clenching his teeth against the pain. "Do you really think we'll give ourselves up that easily? _Shab_ , her _buir_ was an easier kill...." He directed his words to Ethan, but his gaze tracked to Marin. She stiffened, the fingers that clutched her knife closing firmly around the hilt as she began to rise to her feet.

Ethan took it personally himself, twisting the knife and making him scream again before the back of his fist smashed across Kota’s face hard enough to send several teeth flying along the same direction. It dazed 'Kota' for a moment before Ethan really grabbed his hair and pulled his head back.

"I don't expect you to, _nayc_ ," Ethan told him with gritted teeth himself. "But know this, you choose the hard way and I promise that you'll tell me what you know and then beg for death when I'm through with you. I'm no _jetiise_...and I won't have mercy on you until I have what you know."

'Kota' sneered at him. "You'll _try_ …" His words were slurred slightly due to the missing teeth and the blood pooling in his mouth. Still, his gaze moved towards Marin.

She took a step towards the two, her grip firm on the hilt of her knife. She could sense the Marines spread out in a perimeter, guarding while the two Mandos did what they had to. But, she could sense little spikes of satisfaction with every blow they heard Ethan land.

"I believe that the _jetiise_ have a saying from one of their grandmasters that is so fitting right now," Ethan said with a grin of his own. "' _There is no try'._ "

He yanked the knife out of ‘Kota’s’ thigh, the serrated edge doing more damage and it made 'Kota' yell again, but yelled even louder as Ethan buried the blade into his other thigh. Ethan smacked him across the face and pulled his head back again. "Now...for starters, who sent you along on this? I know you're following J'oran's orders...but who set this up?"

'Kota' hissed in pain, shaking his head. " _Nayc_... I won't tell..."

Ethan made a face of mock-disappointment and pulled the knife out of the other thigh, ignoring the yell as he walked over to the campfire. He wiped the blade off with an old piece of cloth before he re-sheathed it and looked down at one of the other tools that were on the rock next to the fire. He picked a small blade up and looked over the first few centimeters of the blade, hot enough to where the metal was almost white in a few places before he started to walk over to where 'Kota' was tied.

He knelt down, still inspecting the edge of the knife before he looked at Kota. "Last chance.... it's only going to get worse from here."

'Kota' swallowed, his pain-filled gaze finding Ethan's for a moment. "Go to _dar'yaim_..." he hissed, his gaze wandering to where Marin was.

Ethan looked to Marin and back over to Kota and shook his head. "So be it," he said as he started to work.

* * *

‘Dar'werda' was slowly starting to wake up, but was having a hard time. His head felt like he'd gone several rounds with a wampa in a fist-only bout. He slowly opened his eyes and he almost retched in surprise at seeing what was left of 'Kota' tied up against the tree across from him.

"You’re awake," he heard behind him as he saw Ethan walk up from around his right and knelt down beside him. "The tranq serum lasted a little longer than I thought it would. I had a chance to actually clean up the area and my 'tools' some before you came around."

'Dar'werda' swallowed. He dared not even look over at what remained of 'Kota'. At the mention of 'tools', his gaze slid towards the fire. He saw the girl there, busy sharpening her knives.

Ethan followed his glance and looked to judge the reaction 'Dar’Werda' was showing in his face. "I know 'Dar'werda' isn't your real name," he said as he sat down. "I'd like to know your real one."

The man's gaze snapped back to Ethan. "What's it matter to you?" His voice was rough, and he sounded faintly sick. Privately, he wondered why the girl was even with him, she'd not participated in any of the... _questioning_ that he knew of.

Marin sighed, only half-listening to Ethan's questions as she sharpened his knives. Part of her wanted to participate, but if she did, she was worried about what she might do.

"I think a person has a right to know the real name of those he has to fight against," Ethan said matter-of-factly as he sat there. "And you and I are on opposite sides of this fight. And your leader made this personal for myself and my charge here when her father, my friend, was killed. Did you know about that?"

Dar'werda's eyes widened, and his gaze slid towards Marin again. "I.... did not...." he said quietly. "I followed orders... they didn't tell us why..."

"I understand that," Ethan told him. "You are a soldier in that respect. Dar'werda, we know you probably did recon while you were in Cataan's home system...I know that J'oran probably ordered it. Who had him order it?"

'Dar'werda' sighed, "I'm not really sure. J'oran never really said. I do know he was always reporting to someone... They were obviously paying very well." He shifted slightly, testing his bonds. "The Hutts would have no interest in Durza... But the Imps would... he did some work for them, if I recall."

Ethan looked up at that statement and looked at him with a hard gaze. "I don't know where you might have heard that, but I will tell you that is a lie. Jarius Durza was no friend of the Empire." He leaned forward. "I know you might have thought that to be true because of what you heard, so there would be no point in thinking that you are lying. But I want to be very clear about something...you take a good look at your friend there."

'Dar'werda's gaze slid sideways, and he glanced quickly towards the remains of Kota's body before looking back to Ethan. He nodded curtly. "You've made your point." He frowned. "If that's true.... is it perhaps possible that the Imps were interested in Durza because he was thwarting their efforts at....expansion?" His tone was wary, for he's worked a few of those missions himself, and been paid well for it. He'd had no idea until the last couple of missions.

Ethan nodded softly at this and looked towards Kota. "I don't know what you're thinking about what happened to him. I offered him many times to tell me the truth and he refused each time. Now...how much recon work was done?"

'Dar'werda' swallowed, his gaze sliding towards Marin for a moment. "We.... did a lot.... It wasn't hard to slip away from the main survey group..."

Marin looked up as she felt Dar'werda's gaze on her. She rose from where she perched near the fire, keeping her knife handy as she crossed the leaf-strewn ground towards them. Glancing at Ethan for a moment, she rounded on 'Dar'werda'. "Did you already know or did you discover the location of the house?"

He looked up at her for a moment and he noticed her eyes, and the storm behind them, and sighed for a moment. "House? We never were told anything about a house here. There was a T-47 waiting for us somewhere north of here."

"For what?" Ethan asked him.

Dar'werda sighed again... _the line was already crossed_..."We were to meet with a ship at the outer edge of the system. Imperial special recon ship."

Marin tensed. "What would the _shabla_ Imperials want with us?" she fixed Dar'werda with a searching look as she reached out to touch his mind in the Force. "What had you been told to look for?"

He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling a need to come clean now. "Rig the scanners of the ship we were own to record all data while were traveling through Cataan's systems to datacards. We were to transmit all the data to the Imps at the rendezvous."

Ethan looked over at Marin, wondering if she was using any of her Force abilities before he looked back to Dar'werda. "What ship are the Imps using?"

"We don't know. Just were told to wait at the northern edge of the system."

" _Mar'ika_ ," Ethan said as he got up and motioned her to come over to the side with him.

Marin's eyes widened, and she rose to her feet, following as he walked a few meters. " _Et'ika_...?"

"Taylon needs to know this so he can alert their command," he told her quietly to they weren't overheard. "Stay with him till I get back. Do I need to act like Andrea and remind you to mind your feelings?"

Marin's mouth fell open in surprise. "Are you sure you don't want me to go instead?"

He looked at her for a long moment. "Can you not keep yourself in check around him after three years?"

She opened her mouth to respond, but then closed it and nodded. She fidgeted a moment. " _Elek_ , I can..." was her quiet response. "Anything you want me to do while you're gone?"

"If you can, see if there is any more information he might have," Ethan said as he looked to Dar’werda tied to the tree. "But I want you to be careful. I don't want you crossing the line here, _Mar'ika_. I lost Jarius, I don't want to lose you to something worse."

Marin swallowed hard and nodded. "I'll do my best..." she answered quietly, reaching to the Force for calm as she'd been taught so long ago.

“Alright, I'll be back in a few minutes." He looked to Dar'werda again and then walked off to talk to Taylon.

As Ethan left, Marin settled to the ground a few feet from where Dar'werda was. She took a few deep breaths to settle her nerves.

He looked at her for a moment then looked to the ground before he finally said anything. "I'd heard about Galan...didn't really agree with it. But that was before J'oran took over all of _Kyr'tsad_."

Her gaze snapped upwards. "What do you know of Galan...? And what do you mean, _before_ he took control?"

"Word was that he was wanting to strike out on his own, starting with a base on Galan. He got howled down by our leader," he said before sighing. "Year and a half ago, he took over..."

She sucked in a breath, her fingers absently tracing the hilt of the lightsaber that rested on her thigh. "What happened then...?" she asked quietly, looking at him intently, and nudging him a little in the Force. _'If you tell me, it will help you..'_

He looked at the lightsaber and then looked at her face. "He's been ruthless, making deals and arrangements that normally wouldn't have been made...especially to outsiders. As much as he's done behind the scenes. He's lost numbers, others in _Kyr'tsad_ that haven't agreed with him openly and left before he could retaliate."

Marin nodded. " _Buir_ told me once about their.... 'recruitment' methods." She glanced down at her hands for a moment. "Is it.... normal for people who refuse to join _kyr'tsad_ to be… hunted?"

He looked up at that question. " _Only his..._ "

Marin nodded. "Was there anything specific you were told to look for during your...'survey'?

"Of Cataan?" he asked as he looked at her. "Or here?"

"Both, but here specifically..."

"Set the scanner to record everything while we were in Cataan's home system," he told her. "Didn't say anything about this place, just that our ship was going to be north of the landing site."

She frowned. 'Why would the Imperials want information on Cataan.....?' And then it hit her like a sucker punch to the stomach. " _They want Cataan...._."

"They still remain the same," he said quietly. "Seems like the Imps want it all now as they did before..."

She frowned. "Cataan's location would have no strategic advantage for them, it's too far from the Core..."

He looked at her. "How much history do you know, young one?"

That got her attention. "As far as the Empire's concerned? Not much, I'm afraid..."

"They controlled most of the galaxy for a long time," Dar'werda told her. "The only area they didn't have a solid hold on was the Outer Rim...even wiped out almost all of the _Jetiise_ in the beginning."

Her fingers closed involuntarily around the hilt of the lightsaber on her belt. "They wanted total control...why? Surely such an iron grip couldn't bring peace..."

"Of course not," he said. "This galaxy hasn't seen complete peace for eons. There's always going to be conflict." He sighed at that comment.

She frowned at him. "Why did you join _Kyr'tsad_ if you felt this way?"

“Young and foolish then," he said as he made a personal decision. "And I had contemplated the same decisions those others had made...." He looked at Kota again and then to Marin. "Is my pack still here?"

" _Elek_ , it is...." she answered, frowning at the _non sequitur_.

He nodded softly and made his final decision inside. "I'm getting too old for all of this... The datacards are in the pack. I'll take my imprisonment with the Cataani then I want to go my own way."

"I'll pass that along." She gazed at him for a long moment. "What's to keep J'oran from hunting you down like he did my _buir_?"

He smiled softly at that. "I still have friends among those that left...he hasn't found them. He won't find me...especially if you and your friend back there are on his trail."

She raised an inquisitive eyebrow at that.

"My other gift of repentance," he told her. "Last word was he was basing out of Eriadu."

She nodded, and rose going to retrieve the datacards from his pack. She tucked them safely into one of her belt pouches before she went back to him. She reached out briefly in the Force. _Et'ika should be back soon_ , she hoped.

Dar'werda sighed and relaxed against his restraints, closing his eyes. "Luck be with you in the hunt, Durza."

She frowned and moved a few steps closer. "How is it you know of me, anyway?"

He looked back at her. "Jarius was known to us...there had been stories that he had taken in a daughter. Seeing your reaction to some of the things your mentor and I said, I can only assume that you are her." He sighed again. "As I told you...I didn't agree with what happened to him."

Marin's gaze fell to the leaf-strewn ground for a moment. "When his family was killed, he went on a rampage. I... was very close to doing the same when I found out he'd been killed.”

“I know of his rampage," he said as he looked away. "I'm glad that you didn't follow that same path."

She smiled briefly. "I wanted to... but my mentor was able to stop me. I wanted to find J'oran and kill him.. _slowly_....." She shuddered at the thought.

He nodded softly at this as Ethan walked back towards them.

"So," Ethan said as he looked to Marin then over at Dar'werda. "Anything else you'd like to let us know about?"

"Your charge can fill you in," the _kyr'tsad_ said as he looked up to Ethan. "When the Marines are ready, I will not resist."

Ethan looked over to Marin for confirmation.

Marin nodded and outlined what Dar'Werda had told her, passing over the datacards. "He says that J'oran is basing out of Eriadu, we should be able to find him there."

Ethan nodded at the info. "We'll ride with the Marines back to Cataan where we can pick up the rest of our gear and the ship before we check it out. The Imps will have a surprise waiting for them in a few hours, I hope."


	17. Chapter 17

**Barab 1**

“I’m not a big fan of caves.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Tight spaces, mildew, tons of solid rock on all sides…I’m not a fan.”

“Yes, well, we’ve come this far…”

“Oh, I know we’re going in. I’m just letting you know that I am not a fan.”

“Duly noted.”

The two mercenaries stared down at the pitch black of the cave entrance. Essentially a hole in some reddish rock amidst a barren and arid landscape on the pockmarked surface of Barab 1, the entrance was, indeed, less than appealing. Vincent noticed that Nik had yet to move.

“Now that you’ve lodged your complaint,” Vince said. “Are you ready to go in?”

Nik-Yar Randar’s shoulders sagged in defeat. He nodded mutely, shuffled to the edge of the hole, and slid in. The drop was only a couple meters down, and Vince heard the slight splash of booted feet landing in shallow water. “Wonderful,” Nik’s voice echoed up to him. “I forgot to mention the smell. Not a big fan of that either.”

Vincent grinned and dropped down as well. “Again, duly noted.” He grabbed a glowrod from his belt and thumbed it on. The tunnel stretched on into darkness ahead of them. The cave was clearly not a natural formation. “Shall we?”

Nik produced his own glowrod and added its light to Vince’s. “Why a cave?” Nik moaned. “Of all the places in the galaxy to hole up, why did he have to pick an actual hole?”

“We can ask him when we find him,” Vince shrugged as the two began to trudge forward. Their boots sloshed through ankle-deep tepid water for a short distance before the cave floor seemed to rise fractionally and their feet found purchase on dryer stone. “I would feel safe in assuming some of the reasons he may have chosen this particular spot are the very reasons that you gave for ‘not being a big fan’ of this place.”

For a few moments, only the sounds of their booted footfalls echoed within the tunnel.

“Duly noted,” Nik said dryly.

“There we are,” Vincent said, his voice patronizing. “You’re being sarcastic; a sure sign that you’re feeling much better.”

* * *

**Coruscant**

Coruscant gleamed against a backdrop of hazy stars, barely visible for the light of the city-world. Myk-Ron sat in the pilot’s chair, uncharacteristically straight-backed and tense. Arie stared out the forward viewport, a far-away look on her face. Most disturbing, however, was the look of terror on Evelina’s face as she sat at the navigator’s station, hugging her stuffed Taun-taun to her chest and gazing past her parents to the planet hanging before them.

“I still can’t sense anything,” Arie said, her voice tinged with the power of the Phoenix as she searched the Force for anything that could cause her daughter such fear. She pulled back in on herself and turned her chair to face Evelina. “I can’t find it, Sweety,” She said, brushing her daughter’s hair back. “You’re sure this feeling is coming from Coruscant?”

Evelina nodded mutely, her eyes transfixed on the planet.

“I can’t sense anything either,” Myk-Ron finally spoke, the lightning fading from his eyes as he, too, withdrew from the Force.

“It’s there,” Evelina insisted. “Or…it will be. I don’t know. Things are moving, scary things.”

“We believe you, Evelina,” Arie said, soothing. She looked to Myk. “The future?”

“Could be,” Myk-Ron nodded, eyes and senses still scanning the view before them. “Princess, what you’re seeing, does it change a lot?”

“I don’t know, Daddy!” Evelina started to tear up, her lip quavering. “I don’t know what I’m seeing, and I’m scared! Something bad is there. Something wants to hurt you and Mommy!”

“Shhh,” Arie leaned forward, wrapping her daughter tightly in her arms. “It’s okay, sweetheart. It’s okay. Nothing’s going to happen to Daddy and me. I’ve got you, you’re safe. It’s okay.”

“Don’t you worry, Princess,” Myk said over his shoulder as he steered the Firebird toward an approach vector. “There’s nothing down there your Mommy and I can’t handle. It’ll be okay. I promise.”

Evelina only nodded, mute, her eyes moist, but no longer shedding tears. Her gaze, though her face was mostly nuzzled into Arie’s shoulder, remained fixed on Coruscant. Myk-Ron turned back to the task of piloting the _Bird_ into Coruscant’s atmosphere.

“ _Freighter Firebird,”_ A gravely voice crackled to life over the opencom on SATC’s frequency. “You are hereby ordered to alter course on a heading of three-two-two point six-eight-seven. You will power down all weapons systems, and standby for escort.”

Arie sat up then, and turned her chair back to face forward after kissing Evelina softly on the cheek. The Phoenix arched an eyebrow at the Conduit. He only shrugged in reply and hit the com switch.

“Tower,” He said. “This is freighter _Firebird_ on approach to our private hangar. Under whose authority and for what purpose do you request we alter course?”

“ _Captain Dinn,”_ A more familiar and irritating voice now rose from the com station. _“It appears as though our SATC officers misled you. This is not a request. This is an order. Non-compliance will be construed as an act of aggression, and you will be fired upon.”_

“Are you out of your _mind_ , Maxell?” Myk-Ron shouted. “I have my daughter aboard!”

“ _All the more reason you should comply, and promptly.”_

Myk could feel Arie’s cold anger smoldering beside him, and when she spoke the ends of her words snapped like ice breaking. “General Maxell,” She said. “Under article six-six-two, section bee-one of the Sentient Rights Act, you are legally obligated to inform us of the reasons behind such a request. And, they had better be good, Brent.”

“ _No need to charge your lasers, General,”_ Maxell’s voice made Myk-Ron want to punch something. _“I know the law. The course change is for a secure facility where you and your husband will be placed under arrest for treason among other charges which I will be glad to relay to you after you’ve been read your rights.”_

“We’ve got fighters inbound,” Myk said as he saw them on his scanners. “I hope you have a good idea, love.”

“We’re going to need help,” Arie said as she started typing fast on the comm panel and pressed the send button.

* * *

**Cataan**

_Steffan had felt it in meditation…_

A sudden sense of surprise followed by confusion and then urgency and need.

… _and it came from Arie._

He was moving from his usual meditation spot at the waterfall of his garden at the house and was walking towards the veranda when Ryneas came through the doors to meet him.

“Dad, you’ll want to see this,” his son told him as he led him into the study. There was a text-only message on the screen. “It was sent to _Blue Talon_ on the private microburst channel you and Master Dinn had set up,” Ryneas told him. “The mobile suit’s computer noted the emergency code she used and routed it to the house system.”

Steffan nodded as he heard this and was already reading the message:

_Authorities have challenged us and are forcing us to land on Coruscant under charges of treason. We don’t know what is going on, but may not be able to get in contact again._

_-Arie_

“Sons of the Sith,” the master said as he deleted the message. The puzzle just got more complex.

* * *

Marin had been up at the praxeum training, as she usually was. A sensation jolted her from her meditations. _Worry_..... It sent a chill down her spine as if someone had dumped ice water on her. She pushed to her feet, her hand going for her comm as she took off towards the Karrde house at a run. She didn't know what was wrong, but it surely wasn't good.

"We'll form two teams," Steffan started to say to the Jedi that were at the house. "Dilan, I'll need you here at the praxeum to oversee students here. You have my full confidence."

"Yes, father," Dilan said as he nodded.

"Ryneas, I was going to have you with me when we go into Imperial space. Instead, I need you to pick one or two others to go with you and infiltrate Coruscant."

"Infiltrate?" Streen asked from where he sat.

"Myk and Arie are placed under arrest under charges of treason," Steffan told them. "I don't know what is going on, but I feel that what is coming is coming sooner."

* * *

Marin's pulse pounded in her hears as she dashed down the mountain. The minutes seemed to crawl by, only her instincts and training keeping her from smashing her face into a pulp on some random rock on the way down. She skidded to a stop, leaning over with her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. She could see lights on inside, and shifting silhouettes. After a few moments, she'd gotten her breathing under control and she slowly made her way inside.

Steffan heard the sound and looked to see Marin entering the living room. "Marin? Rushed from the mountain?"

She nodded, bowing slightly. "Master, I apologize if I'm interrupting, but I felt something just now..." She blushed slightly.

He nodded softly and looked to Ryneas. "If you feel better without taking anyone to infiltrate Coruscant, then take _Blue Talon._ The cloaking device will keep you hidden from any sensor they have, just keep your presence low."

Marin nodded, moving off to lean against the wall and just listen. She was good at that... hiding in plain sight. She took a slow breath to calm herself again as she felt her shoulders touch the smooth wood.

"Jarod, you'll accompany me along with two others that I've sent for. They're highly training in the kind of undercover work we'll need to do."

Jarod nodded, a glance and a nod going to Marin before he turned back to Steffan. "Yes, Master." He fell silent for a moment, already working over strategy in his head.

Steffan sat down in his chair and rubbed his chin. The situation was hitting fast now.

Marin frowned slightly, her hands clasped in front of her as she listened. She watched Steffan through half-lidded eyes, trying to stay calm. It was difficult with the amount of worry flooding the room. She chewed her lip for a moment before she spoke quietly. "Sensei.... can I be of any help in this matter..?"

"Normally, I would say you could," Steffan said as he looked to her. "But you are still undergoing training, and Ethan already has you with him in your own training mission."

Marin opened her mouth and then closed it, frowning. She sighed and nodded. "Yes, Sensei." she said quietly, leaning back against the wall. He was right of course.... but it confused her because for once it seemed as if Ethan's training took priority.

Steffan had dismissed the others to prepare what they would need and looked to see Marin still standing off to the side. "Yes, Marin?"

Marin sighed. He always could read her like an open book. "Sensei, I want to help..." she said quietly, momentarily looking in the direction Jarod had gone. "I..thought my training here was first priority.."

"I've never made it anything but important," Steffan told her from his chair. "But what is fixing to happen is not training. This is going to be more dangerous than what we've covered during your training. If you were caught, your chances of surviving would be slim."

She swallowed.. _hard_. "And what of this training mission with Ethan? He's not filled me in yet.."

"He's assured me it’s a recon mission, which is a lot different from the deep infiltration we're going to be doing. You'll be close to friendly territory. My group will be far from it…and Jarod might be as well."

She frowned again. "But...." she stopped. She knew that tone and knew better than to argue. Instead, she closed her mouth and nodded. "Friendly territory or not, one can never be too careful, Sensei..."

"Exactly, and this is going to be more than just hiding. This is a completely different kind of concealment than what you've been taught so far."

Marin sighed. " _Elek_ , Sensei." Her voice was firm and polite, but inside she was... angry. She bit down on the inside of her cheek, drawing her emotions close as she tried to calm herself.

Steffan looked that way. "My decision upsets you..." It wasn't a question.

She looked away for a moment and nodded. There was no hiding it from him, as much as she tried. " _Lek_ , it does, Sensei..." she replied softly, looking at the floor as she tried to control her emotions.

“Have a seat, Marin."

She sighed, and shuffled over to the couch in the living room, plunking down into it.

Steffan leaned forward in his chair. "We each have an important role to play, Marin. Yours is with Ethan, preparing to bring Death Watch to heel."

She brushed a few strands of hair from her face that had come free of her customary braid. "Even considering what happened...?" she asked softly, looking at the floor.

"You have to face your worst fear and difficulties to pass through and become what you are destined to be. Yours is to face your enemy."

She nodded again, chewing her lip for a moment. "I.." she stopped again. She was afraid to admit it, but she was honestly a bit scared of the prospect of fighting _kyr'tsad_. She bit down on that quickly. That was not how a _Mando'ad_ should think, nor a Jedi.

He nodded softly. "That is exactly what I mean."

She flushed in shame, her gaze on the carpet for a long moment.

"You'll be ready Marin," he assured her. "You'll overcome."

Marin sighed. "I don't feel ready, Sensei..." she admitted after a long moment of silence. "Especially considering what happened the last time.."

"You still have the training to do, yes," he told her. "Be patient Marin. Your test will come, but it will not be on Coruscant or Imperial space."

Marin nodded, trying to calm herself again. "I… suppose I should go find _Et'ika_ then..."

"He should be getting ship's supplies from Edmonton."

"May I be excused, Sensei..?" Her voice was quiet as she pushed to her feet and bowed slightly.

He nodded softly, rising from his chair and returning the bow.

* * *

**Coruscant**

“ _Are you out of your mind?”_ Myk-Ron’s voice was tinged with disbelief and not a little bit of anger. “If you-“

“What my husband is trying to say,” Arie cut off the Rogue’s tirade. “Is that we will be expecting to see a warrant, and you may meet us at our attorney’s office.”

“General,” Maxell answered. “This isn’t a negotiation. If you do not comply, we will be forced to take more direct measures.”

“Again, _General_ ,” Arie interjected. “We will comply, but we know our rights. We will meet you and the arresting officers at our attorney’s office, and we expect to see that warrant.” She looked to Myk before continuing. “Our weapons systems are powered down. We are flying a non-threat flightpath, and we are breaking no traffic laws. If you fire on us now, knowing that we’ve agreed to surrender, we will be filing charges against you with the High Justices in both the Military and Civilian courts.”

There was a moment of silence. Myk-Ron could have sworn he heard the sound of keys furiously tapping away as an aide of the good General’s furiously searched the law records for any way around Arie’s counter-argument. As he’d expected, there wasn’t one.

“Very well,” Maxell ground out. “You will provide the location of your attorney’s office immediately upon landing. We will meet you there as requested.” Myk’s hand was already above the cut-off switch for the com system. “And, Captain Dinn,” Maxell added. “If I see even the _hint_ of a weapon on your person, we’ll be forced to treat you as hostile and resisting arrest.”

“Acknowledged,” Arie cut in before Myk could retort. “ _Firebird_ out.” She killed the transmission and sighed audibly.

“ _I’m going to end him_ ,” Myk said, eyes staring out the forward viewport and knuckles white on the control yoke.

“Myk,” Arie admonished him, nodding her head toward Evelina seated behind her at the navigator’s station.

Myk-Ron looked over his shoulder and saw his daughter shiver slightly. Consciously, he shut down the anger that was boiling inside him. “Sorry,” he said; flipping a few switches and arcing the _Firebird_ onto a new course toward a large building on the western horizon.

“He’s…he’s hard to see,” Evelina wore a perplexed expression, her little brow furrowed in concentration. “But, he means to do something bad.”

Arie and Myk didn’t bother questioning their daughter, they knew she was right. Arie stretched her senses as Myk continued to pilot the ‘Bird. When she reached out toward the military wing of the palace and the cavalcade she knew would be ferrying Maxell and his retinue to their new location, she felt…nothing. There was a blank spot in the Force itself, effectively shielding Maxell from being read. Her eyes grew sharp. “Ysalamiri,” She bit out. “He’s using ysalamiri. What does he think he’s doing?”

Myk-Ron didn’t answer. He knew it was rhetorical, and they had reached their destination. He deftly maneuvered the aging transport into a secure landing facility attached to the massive office complex in which their attorney waited. Arie hailed him on the emergency frequency. “Ven?” She called. “We’re coming in hot, and need to apprise you of the situation.”

“Negative,” The Twi’Lek replied immediately. “Maxell has trumped up some flimsy charges against the two of you. The unfortunate news is that it’s all above the board. They seem to have enough evidence to charge you, but I’ve already spoken with the prosecution. They’re not taking you to court. They mean to hold you for the full duration of what’s legal, four hours, and then release you, charges dropped.”

“You’re amazing Nawara,” Myk smiled as he powered down the Firebird, and helped Evelina out of her chair. “We’ve just landed-“

“I’ll see you at the boarding ramp,” Ven cut him off.

Myk peered out the cockpit viewport, and could see the aged Twi’Lek already crossing the hangar towards them. Arie, Myk, and Evelina exited the ship and walked with Nawara Ven toward the office proper.

“So why hold us?” Arie asked. “Why waste the time and resources to detain us if they’re not even going to charge us?”

“I don’t know,” Ven shrugged. “I’ve got my aide running an intercept. Hoping to at least slow them down a bit, give us some time to think.”

“Maybe he just needs us out the way for a few?” Myk posited.

“But, what can he do in four hours? And, why would it matter if we were ‘out of the way’ or not?” Arie shook her head.

“Working on it,” Ven said, tapping away with one hand on a datapad. They’d reached the hardwood door to his office, and he opened it for them. The Dinns stepped inside, Evelina between the two of them. Behind a large sandalwood desk was a wall of transparisteel that let in the sunlight. The room had a warm and dry feeling to it. Myk and Arie slid into two nerf-hide chairs in front of the desk, Evelina on Arie’s lap, clutching her toy taun-taun.

“There’s a senate hearing today,” Ven finally spoke. “But, there’s nothing on the docket that would be of any interest-“

“What do we care about a senate hearing, anyway?” Myk arched an eyebrow.

“Nerfherder,” Arie admonished him. “I actually _do_ still keep track of what’s going on in the galaxy.”

“So, they’re keeping you from attending a meeting on,” Myk reached for Ven’s datapad, and scanned the topics of discussion. “Zoning privileges in the lower east quadrant of the Vong enclave?”

The adults in the room fell silent, and Evelina snuggled deeper into her mother’s arms. Myk-Ron and Arie could feel the emptiness drawing nearer. The bubble of nothing could only be the ysalimiri protecting Maxell’s convoy, and it was now within five minutes of their current location. Myk’s right hand fell to the blaster at his side, and he unconsciously tapped on the hardwood grip.

“I’m lost,” Arie finally shrugged. “I think the only thing we can do at this point is to wait and see what move he makes.”

“Much as I hate being on the defensive,” Myk nodded. “I agree.”

“I’ll keep the Council informed,” Ven said as Myk slid the datapad back to him. “I can’t see any real reason to fight this either. If they want you annoyed, I think they’ve accomplished their goal.”

“And then some,” Myk added just before the office grew cold… _void_.

Myk and Arie stood, Arie handing Evelina off to the Twi’Lek. “You be a good girl for Mr. Ven, Evelina,” She said, hugging her daughter tight. “We’ll be back soon.”

“Mommy,” Evelina said. “I don’t want you to go. Something bad is going to happen to you and Daddy, I just know it!”

“Sweetheart,” Myk said as the doors opened. “Nothing bad is going to happen to your Mommy and me.” His eyes turned to Maxell and his glare caused the man to falter in his stride. “Isn’t that right, General?”

“As long as you cooperate,” Maxell recovered as his men filed into the room. “No harm will come to either of you. We can make arrangements for your daughter if you’d like-“

“Don’t push it, Maxell,” Myk growled.

Arie put a hand on the Rogue’s shoulder. “She’ll be fine with our Lawyer, General,” She said. “Shall we disarm?”

Maxell tore his eyes from Myk and looked to his men. Two guards with ysalimir on backpacks strode forward and happily confiscated Arie and Myk’s lightsabers and sidearms.

The Phoenix and the Rogue were cuffed and led out of the office and into a waiting prisoner transport. There were no other passengers, save the ysalimiri on the other side of the wire grating and the droid pilot. In the bubble of nothing the little furry lizards created, the two former Jedi had no way of knowing about the tiny blinking light beneath the floor of the transport or the seventy kilos of baridium charges it was attached to…


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _di'kut_ \- idiot  
>  _Jate vaar'tur_ \- Good morning  
>  _dalyc_ \- girl  
>  _Chakaar_ \- corpse robber, thief, petty criminal - general term of abuse  
>  _Tion'jor_ \- Why?  
>  _Me'ven_ \- huh?

**Cataan - Jedi Praxeum**

Marin stared out over the grassy meadows and the dense forests the surrounded the praxeum, wishing she could just get lost in them. While some part of her understood why she had to remain, it frustrated her. And that was putting it lightly. She sighed, and pulled one of her knives from her belt, turning it over in her fingers with practiced ease. She almost didn’t hear Ethan come up behind her before he straddled the low wall she sat on.

“You talked to Steffan didn’t you, _Mar’ika_?” She nodded and kicked her feet a bit. “ _Elek._.. He said that you had something planned and that I was to remain here…” Ethan ran his left hand through his short-cropped hair as he nodded. “Yeah…” He looked around a bit, making sure they were alone before he continued. “ _Mar’ika_ … Some of the colonists on the Tanagis moon have reported seeing strange people about. It’s brief sightings, but it concerns them. They wanted me to tell you.”

Marin sighed, cursing softly. “ _Kyr’tsad_ , there?” Her fingers curled into fists in her lap.

He nodded again. “Steffan’s been made aware of the situation, and he’s given permission for you to accompany me on a recon mission. He feels your skills would be well-suited for this, as you know the terrain better than anyone.”

Again a nod of her lowered head. She felt…. slightly cheapened. But she knew he was right. After a moment of silence, and a deep breath, she looked him in the eye. “Let’s get started then.”

* * *

**Tanagis V - Forest - Five kilometers from Durza home**

It was the sound that caught his attention from where he was keeping watch. From the direction it came from, he thought it might have been the snare he'd set. But that had been a long while back...and he there had never been any indication of someone coming from that direction. It made him curious as he walked towards the location, carefully. He was a young, but experienced, hand at this kind of thing and he knew caution was necessary when so many of his comrades had been killed recently... quite brutally, in fact.

It surprised him, even more, when he got to the snare. He had set it up so that when it tripped, it would haul what was caught in the air. It was simple and he always thought the simplest traps were the best.

The surprise was who was caught. He was expecting anything but the apparently young girl that was hanging in the air. "Well, well," he said softly as he looked around the area and saw the various weapons that were lying about. "What have we here?”

Marin cursed, her frustration rising even as she tried to calm herself. She had been out tracking an odd presence...and she'd gotten careless. She squirmed in the trap, but it only worked the ropes tighter. Her squirming, however, had caused most of her blades and other weapons to fall to the leaves below. Her gaze snapped upward at the footsteps. _That voice..._ It sent chills down her spine. She let her eyes drift closed as she tried to calm herself and figure out the trap.

He was almost amused at her efforts to get out of the snare. "There's only really one way to get out of that once you're caught," he said as he gestured to her blades on the ground. "And that's laying all around here." He smiled and picked up one of the knives that were on the ground and studied it, flipping it some and looked down the edge. “Nice balance," he said, as he looked it over some more. "Little light for my taste...but for someone like you..."

She glared daggers at him, reaching for the Force. _"Put it down."_

"Ohhh, we confident, aren't we?" he asked as he continued to study the knife. "You're in no position to command anything, _dalyc_." He looked and saw an engraving in the blade near the grip and looked over it curiously then looked up at her. "This is a _mando_ blade... where did you get this, _dalyc_?"

"I made them." Her voice was firm, but there was a faint edge to it as she stared at him, mentally searching her fatigues for another blade. She found none. Her lips thinned a bit as she stared at him. "What's it matter to you? You aren't even supposed to be here." She kept her gaze locked onto him as she reached for one of her blades on the ground, trying to lift it to her with the Force.

"I've been here keeping watch," he said...when the first thing she said sunk in and he looked over the blade again, his face changing as he understood the importance of that statement. "You made this?"

She merely nodded, trying to keep him focused on the conversation as the one blade she had a hold of scooted an inch or two along the ground. She reached out again, pushing at him in the Force, trying to move him away.

"And you can stop that, now," he said as he started to collect the other knives, checking them and finding the same design idea.

Marin growled at him, the one blade she had a Force grip on moving into her hand. "Or what?" She quietly flipped the blade around, trying to cut through one of the ropes. She could barely move, however.

"That feeble attempt to cut the ropes."

Marin looked over at him. "I don't know what you're...." she stopped as she saw him move closer, her fingers flexing for a moment around the hilt.

He looked at her for a moment before he quickly moved and grabbed her wrist violently and yanked the knife from her hand and held it close to her face. "This feeble attempt to get away and try to kill me," he told her as he threw the knife into the ground. "It doesn't earn points." He then backhanded her so quickly after he threw it down that it caught her completely by surprise.

Marin gasped a curse in _Mando'a_ as he cranked her wrist in a direction it wasn't meant to go. She swallowed, but an instant later felt his hand smash into her face. Pain blossomed across the left side of her face, and her head snapped in that direction as her vision swam for a moment. "Who's keeping track of points, anyway?"

"Spunky in the face of potential danger...I like it." He grabbed her hair and pulled it to turn her to face him as he looked deep into her eyes. "Now for my question _...who are you?_ "

"You'd like to know, wouldn't you?" She glared at him, even as she could feel a bruise blossoming across her face… and possibly a broken cheekbone.

"I would," he said as he thought about it for a moment. "But I don't have to know it now...we've got plenty of time." He moved behind her and began to bind her arms and legs more thoroughly before he cut the rope of the snare and let her down on the ground, making sure she was out of reach of her weapons. With her on the ground, he started to collect up the various blades and blasters.

Marin seethed. She'd been a _di'kut_ , and now she was stuck. She lay still, slowing her breathing as she listened to his footsteps on the leaves. They were soft, like _Et'ika_ 's. She frowned inwardly, focusing on the ropes, and the knots in them as she tried to pull one loose.

"Good luck," he said as he started to inspect a few of her other weapons

Marin just sighed in frustration. _'How could he possibly know....? Unless... he'd been briefed on her...'_ She let out a breath, trying to calm herself and focus as she rested her head against the leaves. She frowned inwardly. _'If he was here...where was Et'ika..?'_

"My other question..." he said as he stood over her. " _Are you alone?_ "

Her gaze snapped upward as his shadow fell over her. She sighed and then nodded. _How could he possibly know? It was as if he could read her thoughts....._

He grinned and knelt down, tapping the side of his head some. "Did you really think all Force users are _Jetiise_ or _Siitse_ , _dalyc_?"

She paled slightly, her fingers flexing involuntarily. " _Me'copaani?_ "

“Well, I'm confused," he said as he looked around as if he was taking in the scenery. "J'oran tells me he needs me to stick around. That there was a _mando'ad_ carving up our people like an Anzati butcher. He picks me because he figured fight a Force-sensitive with a Force-sensitive....to which I was alright with the idea. But I find you here," he continued as he traced her cheek, avoiding the bruise. "And you are definitely a practitioner....it radiates off of you like a bad power coupling. So, I'm asking myself, _'is this_ dalyc _the one he's been so nervous about?'_ " He looked over another of her weapons that he picked up off the ground very carefully, when he started to check out the DE-10, there was a certain feeling about it that caught his attention. _He knew this weapon_...and he started to study it more.

Marin yanked her face away, but she looked back as she saw him pick up her DE-10. She sat there staring at it as if analyzing it... trying to bury the memories associated with it.

" _Where...did...you...get...this?_ " he asked carefully as he looked over every bit of the blaster.

"I...." Marin stopped, staring off into the forest as she blanked her mind, focusing on a black void.

He looked at her and back to the weapon, noting a few marks on it. "Aso...." he said softly as he held it in a new light now.

Marin frowned, kicking herself as he'd apparently figured it out on his own. "What's it matter?"

"Nothing.... _Durza_ ," he said as he placed the blaster in a pack with her other weapons.

Marin swallowed. _'He knew...’_ She chewed on her lip for a moment, staring off into the trees as she began trying to work on her bonds again, but thinking about _Et'ika_.

"If it _is_ you," he said as he started to look around more cautiously. "He won't be far behind..."

Marin frowned. _'So, he wanted to kill Et'ika.... but then what would he do with her?'_ She worked her wrist around a bit, keeping her face and her emotions still as she breathed slowly, listening to him, and to the sounds of the forest.

"So...Jarius's little girl," he said as he pulled her up off the ground and started to lift her up over his shoulder. "Wow, you've certainly taken after him."

Marin gasped in surprise as he lifted her, squirming a bit. "So what if I have?" her voice was slightly muffled against his back. She drew her bound ankles up, trying to kick him as he walked.

"I didn't necessarily mean it as a bad thing," he said as he felt her trying to kick. He immediately wrapped his right arm around her legs and threw his right leg up to kick her in response and then kept walking. "As I said, you sure are spunky."

Marin cursed as his heel smashed into her face. " _Chakaar_..." she muttered, her voice muffled slightly by blood dripping from her nose. "What.... are you going to do with me....?"

"Well, I had wanted answers," he said as he moved to the lean-to he had set up and set her down. "But now that I have one of those answers, I'm just curious about the other one."

Marin raised an eyebrow at him, trying to breathe through the pain throbbing in her face.

"Are you alone?" he asked as he picked up the cup of caf he had had and sipped some.

She thought a moment. He'd know if she lied. For a moment, she stared at the wall of the lean-to, sinking into herself as she tried to reach out for Master Karrde.

He looked up from his caf and glared at her. "I've asked twice now, _dalyc_ ," he told her sternly. "If I have to ask a third time, it won't be gently."

Marin sighed and looked away, her lack of an answer speaking volumes. She squirmed again, hissing as her movement caused fresh pain to blossom across her face.

He pulled one of her knives and looked it over before putting the tip of the blade into the coals of his fire as he took another sip of his caf.

Marin's eyes widened, her memories flashing back to what had happened not too long ago. She squeezed her eyes shut against the images before she nodded and looked away again slowly rotating her wrists.

He waited a few minutes and then pulled the blade and walked over, kneeling in front of her with the blade very close. "Last time before I start getting nasty....a _re you alone_?"

Marin sucked in a breath, inhaling the scent of hot metal. " _Elek_...." she whispered, her gaze locked on the blade.

He sighed and looked at her and noticed that there was a particular braid in her hair and he reached out and held it in his free hand. He knew what it was on sight, knew what it meant...and he sliced through it with the hot blade and held it in front of her.

Marin gasped and tried to pull away. " _Nayc_..." She stared at the braid, the one physical thing that tied her to the praxeum besides her _jetii'kad_. " _Tion'jor_....?" Her eyes searched his face for a moment before she stared back at the dark braid he held in his fingers.

"Because I know this would hurt more than if I used the blade on you," he said without any kind of smile. "Now.... _who else is here?_ "

" _No one..._." she whispered, looking at the ground as her hair fell about her face. That was the truth. She had no comm to reach Ethan, and well, her attempt to reach Master Karrde, she didn't know if it had worked or not, as weak as it was. She had tried to keep it undetectable.

"Good," he said as he quenched the knife in his caf for a moment then set it back down....then took another sip of his caf. It actually improved the taste a little.

Marin frowned into the fire for a moment, trying to keep her thoughts quiet as she began working on trying to stop her nosebleed. She was no Healer, but she could at least do that. That is... if he let her.

"Healing techniques, I don't care if you use," he told her. "Of course, you could have avoided that altogether by not pulling spunky stuff... But then, it wouldn't be you, I suppose."

She glared at him. "How would you know...?" She sniffled a few times, then spat a bit of blood on the ground.

He looked at her and nodded softly. "Not everyone gets trained up in their arts, _dalyc_."

Marin frowned. " _Me'ven?_ "

“You asked me how would I know...are you asking me about our mutual abilities or you naturally resisting?"

She just shrugged.

He nodded and sipped his caf. "Well, I'll find out all I need to know soon enough.....or, I should say, _J'oran_ will."

Her head came up, and she gaped at him. " _H...how?... Why?"_ Marin rotated her wrists again, trying to work loose.

"Ohhhh, you'll find out." He said as he pulled the DE-10 from the pack and flipped the selector setting over before pointing it at her and firing a stun blast.

Marin twisted, trying to move out of the way, but she felt her body go limp, and then she knew no more as she slumped against the wall.

* * *

**Cataan - Praxeum training circle 0700 hours local**

The morning air was cool as Callista stood in the praxeum's training circle. She took a few moments to calm and center herself before she began moving through some Teras Kasi forms. The breeze ruffled her hair for a moment as she moved. Even in the calm of the morning, she could feel a faint nagging feeling, as if something somewhere wasn't right.

Ethan was walking up the steps, still in his _beskar'gam_ except for his helmet. He knew when he needed outside help on an issue he was having and he knew who he would need to talk to about it right now.

She continued working through her forms, her forehead creasing slightly as she felt a presence near. And a troubled one at that. She finished out the kata, wiping her forehead with the sleeve of her training kimono before she bowed towards the center and stepped out of the circle.

"Just who I needed to see," Ethan said as he saw her appear from where he was walking into the outer corridor of the courtyard.

" _Jate Vaar'tur, Et'ika_. What can I do for you?" She said cheerfully, taking a pull from her canteen.

Ethan looked around, making sure they were alone and knowing what would happen when he mentioned it...because he wasn't one to beat around the bush. He moved in close. "Marin's missing."

Callista stopped in mid-sip, choking a bit. " _Me'ven?_ How long ago did you see her?"

"She went off on a tracking assignment three days ago," Ethan told her as he closed the gap between them, keeping his voice low. "I know where she disappeared and started to track what trail I could find, but it went cold. Why I came here is that the entire time I was tracking, there was a....kind of 'buzz' in my mind...as if something was making me lose the trail. Something like that happens, I know who I need to turn to for this hunt."

She frowned. "You suspect a Force user then? I hardly think it could be Marin throwing you off. Is it possible that perhaps she ran into some trouble?" She frowned again. "What was the last you heard of _Kyr'tsad_?"

"A possible place they'd found to hold up in...and she decided to check it out." He shook his head as he walked around. "I know it wasn't _Mar'ika_ throwing me off. One, she wouldn't do that to me at a time like this...."

"Ethan.... _did they dig in on the moon?_ " she asked carefully.

"I think so," he told her as he pulled a blade out of his thigh pocket. "Because, two, I'd found this at the remains of a snare...and she would never leave one of _these_ behind." He handed her one of Marin's knives that he had found on the ground. It had been by pure luck that he had found it.

Callista swallowed as she took the blade. It was indeed one of Marin's. "She is usually very careful." She frowned. "There's something off about this. You trained her.... she can elude you.... What if whoever they sent was a Force User..?"

"Then its someone who had an edge on her in some way," he told her. "I know that Andrea has trained her heavily when she hasn't been training heavily with me. Whoever it was that bagged her...they're very good in both crafts because what trail he left me was very little. Took all of my fieldcraft to follow it as far as I did."

"What...exactly did you find? Anything besides the knife?"

"The remains of the snare that caught her....hoisted her up in the air so fast, all of her weapons must've been knocked loose because I discovered imprints of all of them on the ground. Found the impressions of the boots of whoever found her...must've been where he stood still for a long time because when he was on the move, they were lighter…almost nonexistent."

"Any piece of her clothing... hair? Anything like that?" She frowned and leaned against the nearest column, thinking. "And Steffan's not around, so whatever help you have, it's just me."

"And that's just what I need," he told her. "You know what we're up against here. And...I've been told you can get a 'feel' off of objects if necessary."

" _Elek_ , I can..." She said softly, gripping the short hilt of the knife in her fingers careful not to smudge prints - if there were any. She stared down at it, her eyes drifting closed for a moment as she reached for the object in the Force. She felt a... _grayness_ around it. Mixed with... frustration.... and a bit of....despair. "Ethan..... she's frustrated at herself... but there's something else. I feel _despair_..." She looked up at him. "What could cause her to feel this way?"

"Despair?" He asked as he looked puzzled at the question. "I have no idea, Callista. She's never shown any signs of it the entire time I've trained her. Unless she's still holding feelings back from Jarius's death, I don't know."

"I can't pinpoint the cause... but something that happened during this whole thing really rattled her."

"I could imagine if the very fact of getting caught rattled her....but despair?" Ethan was having a hard time understanding it...much less believing it.

Callista closed her eyes, trying to get a clearer impression. Slowly images began to surface... emotions. And then she saw it. Her fingers clenched around the knife for a moment before she looked up at him. "Whoever it was... _**he used this blade to cut her padawan braid.**_ ”

That made Ethan's eyes widen slightly as he knew the importance behind the braid. "Why would..... _he was getting her to talk."_

"Somehow... he knew. That means more to her than almost anything...what it represents..."

It was starting to make him grit his teeth now. "He was going to do anything he could to make her talk and went right to that...."

Callista nodded. "She's dedicated her life to this path.. to both. To take that from her.... it was worse than anything physical he could have done..."

"I'm wanting to skin this guy alive already," Ethan said as he mumbled a curse under his breath. "If I take you there, think you might be able to pick up the trail where I left off?"

"Possibly.... much like I did when looking for _Jar'ika's 'gam.... Manda_ rest his soul..." She whispered. She closed her eyes a moment. "She's not dead... I would have felt it. We'd best leave word with Lady Karrde, just in case Steffan comes back while we're gone. Dilan's here, so I can leave once I fill him in."

"Alright. I can have the ship ready to go in minutes, so let's get to it."

She nodded and gripped his shoulder for a moment before turning to go. "I'll see you at the house." And then she was gone to find Dilan and to change.

* * *

**Edmonton, Cataan - Office of Jedi Intelligence**

With a heavy sigh and a muttered curse in _Mando'a_ that she'd picked up from Marin, Sharon sat back from the glowing screen of her terminal. The Sun was just beginning to set over the mountains that marked the pass to the Praxeum on Mt. Adan. She'd been at this for hours. And Force only knew where Xan was. It had been weeks since she'd heard from him. The last comm she'd gotten was that she was to meet him on Cataan along with Althea and move the Office of intelligence there. That had been weeks ago. She'd already submitted a missing person's report, but she doubted anyone would go looking for him; not with the state of affairs between the Republic and the Jedi.....not to mention that of the Mandalorians.

She was doing the best job that she could to lead the Intelligence division in his absence, but she was still only a Padawan. There were some that felt she wasn't worth their time....even IF she was acting Director. She pinched the bridge of her nose, and pushed away from her desk, trudging over to the conservator to grab a _netra'gal_. _What the kriff was she supposed to do?_ Xan missing... and the few Knights that were still active in the Intelligence division were slowly dwindling. She still couldn't explain that one, no matter how hard she tried.

The few steps back to her desk, and she dropped into her chair again with a sigh, cracking the seal on the can she held in her fingers. After one long swig, she set it down on her desk with a muted _thunk_ , rubbing her eyes before she turned back to her terminal. She blinked rapidly a few times, squinting at the message queue on her screen. There were several marked high priority - _kriff_ , they all seemed to be a high priority these days - but one in particular stood out. It was from Ethan. Not something she expected. Though she'd worked with him a few times, she knew he tended to keep to Cataan or the Mandalorian systems unless a contract or Marin's training took him elsewhere.

The message was a bit longer than normal.... and the content was anything but. She squinted, reading it again to make sure she was reading what she thought she was.

\--Secured channel--

Sender: Ethan B. (t345-hv-e32)

Recipient: S. Mohren (ji3f6h732d)

 _Sharon... I know you're busy, and I'm sorry to bother you with this.... but Marin's missing. You know I sent her out on a recon mission. She's not checked in now for a couple of days. She was tracking Kyr'tsad on Tanagis V. They've gotten bolder over the last few months, and managed to dig in there without the colonists or Marin catching wind of it. Only the colonists' recent reports of spotting strange men alerted us to their presence. Callista and I were able to find her last location on the moon, and it's not good. Near as we can tell, their operative here nabbed her. I know it would be a lot to ask to spare a couple of your people. If you could, put out the word to Mand'alor and the Protectorate to send a contingent to assist us. They need to be prepared and equipped for ground combat, infiltration, and possible hostage extraction._ \- Ethan

Sharon's hand froze halfway to her lips, and she tried to set the can down slowly. Her hand was shaking badly. Shab, she didn't know Marin all that well, but she still considered her a good friend. A long moment of silence filled the office as she closed her eyes, trying to calm her first instinct, which was to rush off and find Marin on her own. It took her several minutes to calm down. And when she did, she began drafting a couple of messages of her own. The first was to Ethan, which she sent over scrambled channels directly to his comm.

\--Secured channel--

Sender: S. Mohren (ji3f6h732d)

Recipient: Ethan B. (t345-hv-e32)

 _Message received. Reinforcements en route. Best of luck._ \- S. Mohren.

The second was longer and went to a different source entirely. She'd not had much chance to speak with the _Mand'alor_ herself. But with Ethan openly telling her, she wasn't about to ignore that. Her hands still shook slightly as she began typing once more.

\--Secured channel--

Sender: S. Mohren (ji3f6h732d)

Recipient: P. Morut (M-340btx)

**Priority message follows. _Mand'alor's_ eyes only.**

_Mand'alor, I apologize if this message comes at a bad time. I was told to contact you directly. Marin Durza is missing and has been for the last day or two. Evidence found at the scene strongly suggests Death Watch involvement. Please find holoimages attached. Ethan requests a small contingent, equipped for ground combat, insertion, and possible hostage extraction. Please advise on ETA as soon as possible._

In Service,

S. Mohren

Jedi Intelligence Division

\-----------------------------------------

Original message follows:

\--Secured channel--

Sender: Ethan (t345-hv-e32)

Recipient: S. Mohren (ji3f6h732d)

Sharon... I know you're busy, and I'm sorry to bother you with this.... but Marin's missing. You know I sent her out on a recon mission. She's not checked in now for a couple of days. She was tracking Kyr'tsad on Tanagis V. They've gotten bolder over the last few months, and managed to dig in there without the colonists or Marin catching wind of it. Only the colonists' recent reports of spotting strange men alerted us to their presence. Callista and I were able to find her last location on the moon, and it's not good. Near as we can tell, their operative here nabbed her. I know it would be a lot to ask to spare a couple of your people. If you could, put out the word to Mand'alor and the Protectorate to send a contingent to assist us. They need to be prepared and equipped for ground combat, infiltration, and possible hostage extraction.

She signed the message, scrambled it, and sent it before leaning back in her chair. _She only hoped they got the message in time..._


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _Me'copaani?_ – What do you want?  
>  _shabla_ \- screwed up - can also mean damn in certain contexts

**Coruscant**

Steffan had given Ryneas several objectives that needed to be taken care of and he had little time to put the assets together that he thought would come in handy.

Part of that included having to call for a quick audience with Jameson and the clan council to make his request of assistance from the admiralty. The results of that meeting were awaiting his signal on the outskirts of Coruscant’s regular space lanes. Kure was fully cloaked with two assault shuttles occupying half of her cramped hangar space while the marine assault teams that would use them were using the other half for bunks and exercises. If he needed them, they could be planetside quick…while Kure could hold back any ship in the Republic fleet at least for a short time.

With them in place, all that was left now was to actually get on Coruscant. Despite the increasing hostility with the Empire…somehow, calling it the Remnant didn’t fit well anymore…and everyone’s suspicions about the New Republic’s motives, it hadn’t been hard for Ryneas to arrive unnoticed. He had taken the X-wing that Andrea had given him to land in a private hanger that was unknown to all but a few people. The cloaking system developed by Nib Cadre helped, as it was the same type used by Phoenix Squadron’s Z-wings, his father’s _Blue Talon_ , as well as Cataan’s _H’kana_ -class warships and the New Republic’s _Knight Hammer_ in use by Intelligence. He arrived completely undetected.

He walked the streets casually, dressed like the other pedestrians along the walk. Blending in was what was called for, and his robes would have done just the opposite of that. He didn’t feel out of place, though…or even defenseless, for that matter. Ryneas was trained in several martial forms including lightsaber combat. His coat and the vest and shirt he wore underneath it contained several of the tools and weapons he kept on him at all times…a practice he picked up from his father…and his lightsaber was concealed under his coat.

Just as few knew the location where his X-wing was sitting now as he walked, fewer still knew that there were other ways to gain entry into the Jedi Temple besides the main gate. Whoever their enemies on Coruscant were, they would undoubtedly be watching to see if there was anyone of particular interest that might arrive. Ryneas wasn’t as well known to those outside the Jedi Order here on Coruscant as Steffan was, but it was a risk he would not take. Instead, he passed through the crowd quietly and with just a trickle of his inherited ability to conceal himself from others, slipped into one of the many entrances to a series of corridors that would take him into the Temple. The way was familiar to him and in a short while, he was inside the familiar corridors of the temple.

“Hold,” came the voice behind him. Ryneas turned around and looked at the Jedi who had called out to him, and saw that the man instantly relaxed. “What are you doing here?” he asked as he walked up quickly. “No one sent word that anyone was coming, Ryneas.”

“I’m not really _here_ , Master,” Ryneas said as he gave a brief bow of his head. “My father sent me on an important task. Did Myk-Ron or Arie ever arrive here at the Temple?”

The master shook his head. “Never did, and Steffan had told me they would be coming. I sensed a worry and confusion in orbit, but that was several hours ago.”

“They were placed under arrest,” Ryneas told him. “I don’t know why, but I have to find them. Father also wanted to get word to you to start getting Jedi out of the Temple and off the planet as soon as you can.”

“How many of them?”

“He said _all_ of them. We don’t really know who we can trust on this planet right now.”

“You mean the Jedi…”

“I think he meant everyone.”

The older man nodded at this. “I’d already been working on that, given that we had noticed more people paying close attention to what people we have here are doing. It has been an uneasy feeling over the last short while.”

There were more words that passed between them, and then Ryneas took his leave and started to head for one of the lifts of the Temple. One of the things his father asked him to do finished, it was time to complete another.

The Temple’s computer room housed their entire database. All the information about the Jedi…history, techniques, backgrounds, locations, everything…was here. During recent years, Steffan and the Council had decided that having such information in just one place was not a wise idea and had begun to retain the database files at several locations, including Chandrilla and Cataan. If the Jedi were to evacuate the Temple, as Ryneas was instructed to tell the first master he came across, and even the entrances sealed from all those outside it…that database was too important to fall into the hands of those that could be considered the Order’s enemy.

Steffan had told Ryneas what he would do once he got to the room since only a handful knew which part needed to be destroyed. In actually, all of the files that could be considered critical were stored in a certain area of the room. With a little bit of hesitation, Ryneas stood there for a moment as he pulled his lightsaber out from its concealed spot and sighed for a moment.

“I’m sorry to do this,” he said to no one as he lit the blue blade and rammed it into the memory cluster in the computer, letting it vaporize the materials completely before he drew the blade along so it could destroy the others that were in this section. The job finished, he withdrew the blade and then proceeded to do the same to two other towers in the room. No one would be able to get access to the data now.

 _Now for the hard part_ , he thought as he returned the lightsaber to its place. _Find Myk and Arie._

* * *

**Bestine - Kyr'tsad Base**

Marin regained consciousness slowly. Wherever she was, the air was cool, almost chilly compared to Cataan. She could feel it against her arms, She rolled over, feeling the rough fabric of a blanket under her cheek as she did so. She blinked, trying to open her eyes, but found only darkness. And when she tried to move, she was rewarded with an all to familiar jolt. _'Stun cuffs. Surely they didn't think....'_ She tried to touch the Force then... and nothing.... _there was nothing but a void._

"Ah, so we're awake now, are we?" the voice called out from a corner of the darkened room.

Marin closed her eyes, listening as she'd been taught. _Off to her left..._ She turned her face that way, biting her lip for a moment against the pain in her face. " _Me'copaani?_ " She asked evenly.

"Impressive," the voice said with genuine intent. "She really does hide it well, as you told me when you brought her in. Well, what do I want...let me see." He stood up and walked over to where she was laying. "I do believe I have part of it right now," he told her as he knelt down. "And I'm sure the rest of what I want... answers...will come in good time."

Marin turned her face in his direction... but all she saw was armor. She raised an eyebrow at the armored figure, something jarring in her memory. "I'm not going to tell you a _shabla_ thing..."

"Defiant to the last, I like that," he said with a smile inside his helmet. "Like father, like daughter."

Her eyes narrowed, and her shoulders tightened slightly. " _You_..... you're J'oran." It wasn't a question, and her voice was pure venom.

"Good," Joran said as he removed his helmet and looked at her eye to eye. " _Very_ good, _dalyc_."

Marin glared at him, even though she was trying to calm herself. "What is it you want from me, J'oran?"

"Oh...we'll get to that later," he told her as he stood up. "Right now, I'm going to wait and see if anyone else decides to show up to look for you...and have a little surprise waiting for them."

She swallowed, hoping desperately that someone would find her. She turned over again, the springs of the bed squeaking in protest, and was rewarded with another jolt.

"I wouldn't overdo it too much," he told her as he turned to go. "By now, you already know that we were ready for anyone like you when we built this room. And don't worry...I will be back to start our _conversation_."

She glared. "Why so concerned all of the sudden, J'oran. It's not like you."

"Concern?" he asked with a grin before he put his helmet back on. "Who said anything about _concern_? Wear yourself out if you want, _dalyc_...it'll just make getting answers out of you that much easier."

She glared again, her gaze moving slowly around the room. _She'd heard someone else..._

"Keep an eye on her," J'oran said off to the side as he started to leave the room. "Don't let her get too exhausted. It'll take away all the fun.”

Marin sighed, laying her head back as she stared up into the darkness. She couldn't feel the other person in the room, but she could hear his measured breathing. Letting her eyes drift closed, she considered her predicament. Locked in a dark room, cuffed, and unable to touch the Force. She had no idea where she was, either. She slumped a little bit, trying to figure out the stun cuffs. _Could she open them without the Force?_

* * *

**Tanagis V**

"This is it," Ethan said as he slowly entered the small clearing. Traditional _beskar'gam_ was cumbersome when it came to moving through dense woods, so he had blended parts of _beskar'gam_ panels with a tactical outfitting that made it easier to move quietly through close quarters. His blaster pistol and ripper was on thigh holsters and his carbine in his hands with plenty of energy packs and mags for each with his gear along with every other weapon or tool he felt he would need for this mission. Callista was right behind him as they entered the clearing and he motioned to where he had found Marin's knife and where the trap had been sprung.

"Whoever set it up," he said as he looked over the work again. "Is definitely someone who knew his fieldcraft. I don't know if she even felt a tingle of danger before it was already tripped."

Callista frowned, crouching in the leaves underfoot as she studied the area. "If... he was as good as you say, and used to dealing with force users like we think, she wouldn't have..." Her plates clinked a moment as she knelt, resting her hand on the ground. "They were here for several hours before they moved on."

"That direction," he said as he indicated a line of travel. "As I said, the buzzing would get worse as I continued the trail. Maybe you'll have some better luck...even find out what was causing it.”

She nodded, slowly rising to her feet as she oriented herself. After a moment, she took off, walking slowly along a line. "This way..." Her voice was quiet as she walked carefully, checking ahead and around them as she moved. _Manda_ only knew what lay in wait. Several quiet minutes passed until she reached another clearing. Scorch marks covered the grass. She knelt, running her fingers across them. "His ship was here...." She shook her head, feeling a faint headache coming on.

He was by her side in an instant. "Are you alright?"

She closed her eyes briefly. "That buzzing you felt? I'm getting it too, but I can block most of it. It's giving me a headache though..."

"Any idea what's causing it?"

She frowned. "Some force users have the skill to cloud the minds of others and misdirect them..."

" _Shassa_ ," Ethan said as he looked around. "I was afraid of that...."

She sighed. "I think that's what's going on here... and why it took so long for me to track.."

"They were worried that he might try to bring in a few that had that ability...and not shy about crossing the line," he told her as he looked around where the signs of the ship were. "Looks like they were right.”

She sighed, balling her left hand into a fist. "I don't know if I can track her from here. I will try, but I need a bit of time to focus."

"You got it," he said as he gave her some distance, but continued to look over the patterns.

She sighed a bit, sitting down in the crisp leaves, her left hand tracing one of the burn marks. She reached out with the Force breathing through the mild pain of the headache as she tried to piece together the fragments of emotion and thought. It wasn't encouraging. But at least it gave her a place to start. Slowly, she got to her feet, her hand tracing a line by her side. She stopped, drawing her hand upwards, and pointing to one spot in the sky. "They went that direction.... and not too far I think."

"Short hop?" Ethan asked as he looked along that line and started to pull out a datapad.

" _Elek_... only a couple systems away, I think... They've gotten bolder...."

"We'll see about that," Ethan told her as he plotted out the possible systems based on the line she gave him. "We'll just see."

"They'll probably know help is coming of the _Jetiise_ kind. From what I know of J'oran... he'd have prepared for that..." She sobered a bit, remembering what Steffan had told her about what had happened to Jarius.

"Obviously, if he's gotten ahold of one or two force users of his own," he said as he put the datapad away and started to head back towards the ship. "Sounds like this may need to be a joint effort."

"Who you got in mind..?" She asked quietly as she followed on his heels.

"You're the only other one with a lightsaber that I know of that isn't tied up right now. Other than maybe calling in Jarius's old friends in the Corps, it'd be just the _mando_ 's going in."

She frowned a bit. "I can fight without it. It's too much of a give away anyways. Especially if he's as prepared as I think he is.”

"Well, if he's got one that comes at you with one..." He left the rest of that off.

Callista sighed a bit. "Point made. I suppose we should contact the Marines and see if they can help. If not, we're on our own. I've not heard anything from Xan in weeks."

He nodded as he thought about it. "He has been incommunicado lately. And as for Taylon's bunch, I'm pretty sure that if I just pointed out where they were, those Cataani would have a battlegroup or two pounding the place before I could get the rest of the _Mando'ade_ there."

Callista chuckled. "Most likely. Taylon's taken a liking to her, I think..."

"Wish I knew where Jarod was...but I know Steffan needed him on his mission."

" _Elek_..." She sighed a bit. "Is it wise to involve him though?"

He stopped and thought on that question for a moment. "No, that kid is still a kid...Jedi Knight or not. Steffan told me how he went off when Jade was kidnapped...I know Jarod would do about the same.”

"My thought as well. As much as I hate to, we shouldn't tell him till we know more."

"Then let's get going," Ethan said as he led off.

She nodded, and checked her blaster as she followed him; the dry leaves crunching underfoot the only sign of her passing.


	20. Chapter 20

**Bastion**

From the depths of her bunker, hidden deep beneath the surface of Bastion, Isard watched the events on Coruscant unfold. Seated in a command chair, her platinum hair picked up nearly every color of the rainbow, projected there by the two circles of computer displays encircling her. Great-granddaughter of the Empire’s greatest tactician, she would become its new instrument of ascension. She would lead the Empire back to its former glory. Her alliance with the Sith would ensure the Empire’s dominance. It was only natural that the two forces reunite under one banner. One last task lay before them, however, to make sure their plans would proceed.

Isard grinned to herself as she watched Myk-Ron and Arie Dinn walk dejectedly and subdued to the waiting prisoner transport. Her spies, working together with Sith adepts, had rigged the transport days ago in preparation. She allowed a slightly wider grin as the transport lifted, and the droid at its helm began the pre-programmed flight that would carry those two troublesome Jedi to their final resting place; specifically, a section of the sky above the old Senate district.

Isard smoothed the crimson jacket she wore. She’d had to search the better part of the galaxy to find it. But, it was worth it. Just like the cosmetic surgery she’d undergone to change her eyes (one icy blue, the other molten red), the dyed-red grand-admiral’s uniform was just another way she was becoming her namesake. Soon she would complete what Ysanne Isard had wanted to all those years ago. Soon, the Empire would span the galaxy, and all would fear the name Iceheart once more.

She calmed herself, then, and allowed a look of disinterest to cross her face. “And that,” She said aloud as she sent the command that started the timer on the baridium-laced transport ship. “Is the end of Myk-Ron and Arie Dinn.”

She looked to the lifeless corpse of her former commander propped comically behind his desk. His dead eyes stared back at her, impotent and futile. His was another necessary death. With him out of the way, her rise to power was swift and unimpeded. And, she laughed softly to herself, feeling his warm blood spill out from the knife wound and over her hands had been…exhilarating.

* * *

**Coruscant**

“Mr. Ven,” Evelina cried. “We have to go! We have to save Mommy and Daddy!”

“Evelina,” Nawara tried to soothe the girl. She was visibly upset. Truth be told, he’d never seen her so worked up. Normally, she was such a quiet girl. “They are in no danger. They are merely going to a holding facility for a short time. They’ll be back in no time at all.”

“No,” Evelina insisted, her small hands pressed against the window of his office, her eyes scanning the horizon. “There’s something bad…something bad on the trans…transport ship. I just know it. We have to save them!”

“I’m sure the transport is fine, Evelina,” Ven assured her, though his mind was already racing along a frightening line of thought. Maxell would never dare try an assassination. It would easily lead straight back to him. There would be no profit in it. But, someone outside the NR might have had access to the transport. Someone outside of the NR may have bribed or bought or coerced Maxell into arresting the Dinns without telling him why.

Ven’s eyes grew hard, and he tapped at his datapad, pulling up video surveillance of the landing pad upon which the transport had parked when arriving at his office. He scrolled forward to see Arie and Myk enter the ship, and watched closely as it lifted off and banked away. Then his eyes grew wide. It was only a blip on the recording, but he saw it. There was a red light blinking beneath the transport. He froze and magnified the image, and traced a finger along a line of wires that looked as though they had been recently soldered. “ _Shassa_ …”

“Mr. Ven?” Evelina had turned to face him, her toy taun-taun clutched tightly to her chest and her eyes moist with tears. “We have to save them.”

Nawara Ven slapped the comm unit built into his desk; his aide was quick to answer. “Iichira,” Ven said. “I need the transponder codes of the prisoner transport that was just here. I also need you to put me through to our contact in ‘the den’ as fast as you can.”

“On it, sir,” His aide replied. In a moment the codes floated into being on Nawara’s datapad, and his comm unit buzzed with a good contact.

* * *

“Coruscant Security having budget cuts, Arie?” Myk asked, staring at the grating of the cage in which he and Arie sat. Between the grating and the hull of the transport, several ysalimiri rested lazily on their nutrient frames. The transport rumbled and groaned as it flew through the Coruscant skylanes.

“Not that I’m aware of,” Arie shrugged in her manacles. “Why?”

“Well, these stun-cuffs are old enough that I remember the safety catch,” Myk turned around and his cuffs clattered to the floor of the transport. He rubbed his wrists and crossed to where Arie was sitting. Gently, he went to work on her bindings. “And, this transport has Black Sun graffiti on the interior walls...”

Arie’s stun cuffs slipped off her wrists and fell to the floor with Myk’s. She looked to the patch of wall on the other side of the grating and arched an eyebrow. “Black Sun went belly up nearly fifty years ago,” She said, a puzzled look on her face. “This thing is ancient. Why would they-“

“Shhh,” Myk said, suddenly alert and listening to the ambient sound. Faintly, above the rumble of the transport, he heard it; the slight hissing noise of gas being slowly pumped into the prisoner transport.

Comprehension dawned in Arie’s eyes a half a second later. “Knock-out gas!” She exclaimed and held her breath.

Myk too covered his nose and mouth with one hand as he looked around the cabin for some means of breathing without going instantly unconscious. That’s when he noticed the ysalimiri starting to droop on their nutrient racks. One by one, the little furry lizards started to close their eyes. As the last ysalimiri fell asleep, the Force rushed in on him like a tidal wave. That’s when his danger sense flared. He had just enough time to grab Arie to him and try to wrap as much of his body around hers as he could.

_Then, the world grew suddenly hot, and blindingly white…_

* * *

“Okay,” Shilara was saying over the comm. “Gas is flowing. Now, will you tell me why it was so important to knock out whoever that transport was- What the _krif_?”

“What, Shilara?” Ven asked, leaning over the comm. system on his desk. “What happened?”

“The transport exploded,” She answered quietly. “I didn’t sign on to kill anyone, Councilor. What the _hell_ is going on?”

Evelina stared intently out the viewport of his office, watching a bright light on the horizon. “They’re okay,” She said quietly, turning to face Ven. “They’re okay, but they’re hurt…and, Daddy is mad.”

Ven couldn’t take his eyes away from Evelina’s. Suddenly there was more depth to them than he’d seen in a lifetime of interaction with humans. “Don’t worry, Shilara,” He said, finally. “Nobody died…today.” And, he ended the transmission.

“We should go to them,” Nawara said as he went to the viewport to stand next to Evelina. “I’ll get a medical team, and we’ll-“

“Ryneas is going to them now,” Evelina said, a far-off look on her face. “They want us to stay here.”

“Oh,” the aging twi’lek said, looking back to the window. “Very well, then.”

Together, the two stared out toward the horizon. This was a bold move, Ven knew. Whoever was behind the assassination attempt was either completely insane, or had the resources to believe they could get away with it. Or…both. Nawara Ven did not like the implications.

* * *

_The sound woke him. There was a whistling in his ear…and he’d somehow lost his shirt…and it was quite windy…_

Myk-Ron Dinn opened his eyes and found himself plummeting through the air above Coruscant’s Senate District. It all came back to him in a flash and he reached out to his wife in the Force and with his hands. She, also in free fall, drew near him, her eyes opening, going wide, then hardening with determination.

Myk had taken the brunt of the blast, giving her just enough time to throw a hasty force bubble around them when the explosion tore apart the transport ship. The shockwave had still knocked the both of them out, though, and Myk had severe burns all over his back and arms. Arie had remained relatively unharmed.

They joined hands then, and as they neared the rooftop garden of the Grand Hotel, both threw opposite hands forward and pushed with all the strength they had left. The rooftop permacrete cracked under the pressure, and their descent slowed to nearly a full stop. They touched down, hand-in-hand on the now-cracked rooftop, and Myk-Ron took a knee. The burns he’d suffered were slightly more than the Rogue could handle now that the adrenaline had worn off. The pain came rushing in on him at once and he was finding it harder and harder to breathe.

Arie worriedly surveyed the wounds on her husband’s back and arms as she sent cooling waves over him through the Force. His breathing was labored, a sign that the burns went deeper than they looked. He’d taken most of the blast. Conduit, or not, no-one could have acted any faster than he had. Her own minor burns forgotten she knelt behind him and focused more on cooling the burns and healing the deep tissue. He needed a long dip in a bacta tank. She needed help getting him to one. Afterward, they both needed to find the person responsible and pound him or her into a fine paste.

Arie reached for her comlink, but it was a charred ruin. She took her focus off of Myk’s back for a second to see if she could reach anyone through the Force. That’s when she sensed Ryneas. She sent the Karrde boy a slight nudge in the Force and smiled when she sensed him turning their direction. _Good lad_ , She thought. And she turned back to her husband. He looked weakly over his shoulder and gave her a small smile, but, in his eyes, she saw an inferno.

“Are you okay?” He asked, his voice soft and raspy. He broke off in a cough.

“Shhhh,” She smiled at him. “I’m fine, Love. Don’t talk. Concentrate on shunting the pain. I’m doing what I can, but we need to keep you from going into shock.”

Myk-Ron nodded mutely, still smiling. He turned and closed his eyes and began falling deeper into the Force.

* * *

**Barab I**

“They’re not going to like this,” Nik-Yar sighed. “They’re not going to like this at all.”

“Agreed,” Vincent Rane said, kneeling over a pile of discarded data discs.

The two rogues had spent the better part of an hour searching through this network of tunnels and caves to finally come to this prefab bunker. It was, essentially, a box of duracrete with a thick blast door. The ancient structure may have been some kind of fallout shelter from a time long past. Whatever it was before, it was now the last known whereabouts of a missing Jedi Master.

“These discs are ruined,” Vince held a cracked metal disc between his fingers, examining it in the dim light.

“Keep them,” Nik said, looking over a pile of clothes and a tray of prepackaged foodstuffs, partially eaten. “He left in a hurry. No signs where he was going, but he may have been hiding his tracks on purpose…”

“So someone-“ Vince began.

“Or _something_ ,” Nik interjected as he began gathering everything in the room into a duffle bag.

“Was after him?” Vince finished. “And, then…what? The pursuers cleared their tracks as well?”

“There’s not much here that I like,” Nik-Yar Randar kicked the wall. “We bag it all, take it to Talon.”

“If we can find him,” Vince nodded as he scooped up all the data discs into a clear bag. “If he’s even still alive.”

“He’s alive,” Nik said, heading back into the tunnels.

“How can you be so sure?” Vincent asked, following. “Nobody has heard anything from him in years, and his lieutenant…Akeya seems to be running most, if not all of his old business now.”

“He’s alive,” Nik said again, trudging through the cramped corridors. “And, I know where he is.”

“I see,” Vincent deadpanned. “And, when were you going to tell me about your recent omniscience?”

“I thought you knew,” Nik smirked, as the two finally climbed their way out of the tunnels and into the blazing red sun of the Barabel homeworld. “It’s a hunch,” Nik shrugged. “Besides, it gets us off this rock.”

“A benefit, to be sure,” Vincent nodded, as they headed down the long dusty road to the spaceport. “Should we report this to Steffan Karrde?”

“Report what?” Nik asked. “Hi, Steffan, just wanted to let you know we haven’t found Ainar. How’re the kids?”

“Point taken,” Vincent replied. “And, so we go on yet another trip across the galaxy for no monetary gain whatsoever.”

“Oh, don’t look so glum,” Nik-Yar chided the mercenary. “The way things are looking in the galaxy, money is going to be the least of our worries sooner than later.”

“You are really terrible at cheering a person up,” Vincent arched an eyebrow at the pirate. “You know that, yes?”

“Absolutely,” Nik grinned as they reached the spaceport.

The _Phantom_ waited in an unmarked hangar. In a few hours the two mercenaries were on their way to Myrkr, searching for a man with the resources and the means to help them in their quest, and praying he was still alive.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _dalyc_ \- girl  
>  _lek_ \- yeah

**Bestine IV - Kyr'tsad Base - Day 4**

J'oran was reading through a book in the room as two of his soldiers brought Marin into the chamber, stripped out of her armor and just in her overalls. She wasn't cooperating with them at all and one of them backhanded her before they attached manacles to her elbows and attached them to a harness that lifted her off the ground by a half meter. J'oran kept reading as they finished setting her up on the wall of the chamber and then stood on both sides of her before he finally looked up. "Decided if you would give me a hard time asking questions?" he asked as he kept reading through a few pages.

Marin hissed, struggling a bit as her feet left the floor. His question brought her gaze to him, and she glared. "I told you before: I'm not telling you anything." She stopped struggling for a moment, again trying to stay calm. Steffan’s words echoing in her mind from when she'd tried to go after J'oran all those years ago.

He closed his book and set it down before he got up and walked towards Marin. He was without his _beskar'gam_ and wore a set of black tunics in a cut that seemed so familiar to her in some way. It wasn't until he got close to her that recognition started to set in.

 _< I promise you, young one,>_ he said in Cataani to her as he looked her right in the eyes. _< I will have the answers I require...one way or another.>_

Her eyes widened as she recognized the tunics of a Cataani Marine. They bore no insignia... _but she would know them anywhere_. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from swearing in surprise. _ <You will try…>_

 _< Only those who believe they might fail try, girl,>_ he said as he looked off to the right side of her face...noting that some of her hair was singed. "What's this?" he asked as he traced over the singed pieces. "Someone severed your braid, didn't they.... your main connection with the praxeum...and her highness, eh?"

Marin swallowed. She'd tried not to think about that, for it caused a cold lump to settle in her stomach. She forced herself to not look away from him, but she remained silent. Inwardly, she was seething. _< What of it...?>_ She asked as evenly as she could, already trying to figure out the _shabla_ contraption that held her.

He looked behind him to the other that was there with him when they brought her in. "You did this, Larel?" When the man nodded, he couldn't help but grin. "A nice move... I'll be challenged with another way to see if she'll talk."

It was about that time the dart flew from his hand and embedded in her forearm at a certain spot that he had picked out.

She hissed in surprise, feeling the sting. " _Me'ven_...?" She twisted, trying to dislodge the dart, but found it hard to move.

"Struggle as much as you want, little one," Danos said as he kept watching her. "No one yet has been able to make their way around that setup...especially once your hand starts numbing. Oh yes," he said as he held her hand out where she could see. "The needle is in a certain nerve area. You're not going to have use of that hand for a while once it's removed."

A cold chill squirmed its way down her spine. From the way he was talking, she figured they were a more specialized version of the ones Ethan used during her training. "And that will accomplish... _what_ exactly?" She glared at him, her gaze shifting to the other man in the room... the same one who'd captured her.

"You'll regain use of it after some time," he told her again. "There are nerve clusters, such as this one...." Just as he said it, another needle found its way into the joint of her shoulder."...and you _might_ regain use of that arm....if I decide to take the needle out before its too late. We have some time...so you can start talking to me."

She gasped before gritting her teeth. _Shab, that hurt_... at least until she couldn't feel anything. Her brown eyes bored into him. "Or what? You think that's going to make me talk?"

"What I'm demonstrating is an old Guild technique," he told her as he drew another needle from where he was keeping them. "The body has all kinds of nerves for different things...I'm only using the ones that will numb you, in the case of your hand, or permanently paralyze you, like your other arm if I don't remove it in time. There are also others, little one, that can cause extreme pain when attacked....such as this one."

The next needle entered her side, just below her shoulder at the point he intended. It would be excruciating, but not enough to dull her senses.

She gasped.... a curse falling from her lips before she could stop it. She couldn't feel her arm anymore... _but her side_.....She hissed curses under her breath.

He kept it there for the moment, reaching to pull her head back by the hair and got right into her face. "Now," he said, the smile on his face gone and replaced with something darker. "Do we have an understanding?"

She growled at him and nodded, her eyes wide. There was pain in her gaze. " _Me'copaani_..?"

"I imagine you have some knowledge of the Cataani fleet...maybe not as much as I do, since I was once part of their armed forces, but you'll have updated information. I'm told that new battlegroups have been constructed. We'll start with a simple question...how many groups do they have now?"

She looked away for a moment, trying to think past the pain. "Seven? I really don't know, Don't have much interaction with the armed forces.."

"At only fifteen, I'm sure I can rely on that answer," Danos granted her. "I have my own sources for that, so that is no worry of mine. However, I believe you have intimate knowledge of Mt. Adan."

She swallowed. "What concern is that of yours..?"

He only responded by tweaking the needle in her side.

"Aaaah!" She yelped, sweat beading on her forehead as she bit her lip. She had no way to block the pain, at least with the Force. She lifted her gaze, glaring at him.

"I ask the questions now," he told her as he let go of the needle. "Now...how many have attained knighthood through Mt. Adan? How many is he training now?" She knew _exactly_ who J'oran meant by _'he'_.

Marin swallowed. "I... " She stopped, honestly trying to think. She spent more time away from the praxeum than in it these days due to her advanced training with Ethan. "That I know of? Two recently... though I'm sure there's more. I don't honestly know how many he trains these days." She glared again, still conscious of the other in the room.

“Oh, I know you can do better than that," Danos said as he drew yet another needle. "You spent the better part of three years in that old monastery, perhaps longer. _How many students_?"

She glared. _If looks could kill.._. "Fifteen or twenty.. it varies."

"On what?"

She gritted her teeth. "On if they decide to stay or not.."

He nodded at this and made a few mental notes. "How intense is the training...does it follow the standard practice or his more martialist views?"

She frowned a moment. "We learn standard _Jetiise_ philosophy as well as saber training and swordmanship..."

"Rumors float, little one," Danos told her. "It is said that a _jetii_ that comes from Mt. Adan is one that is not to be trifled with."

Her teeth grated every time he called her that, but she tried not to let show. "Don't believe everything you hear.."

"Oh, I have heard of the prowess of your teacher," he told her with a smile. "Just the tales one hears of the great battles of Rhen Var and Msst...and that is only the most recent of his great battles. No, _dalyc_ , I believe there is truth to what is said. However, I know things have been gatherings lately...who has been meeting?"

She frowned inwardly. _His intel was good then_. "The Marines have been out on exercises... as to the rest, I'm not invited to such things."

Danos laughed at that answer. "All schools have rumors...I'm sure there was talk of the great gatherings that have been happening near the school."

"Doesn't make them true..." She shrugged. "I've heard of them, yes. But don't know the details."

He leaned forward, holding the fresh needle in front of her. " _Enlighten me._ "

She swallowed. "I...I've seen a lot of the Council come and go lately... He never says what they discuss."

"Just the council?"

She looked up for a moment, the strain showing just a little. "Some of the other allies too. Though I only know them by sight, not name..."

He nodded at this, knowing she was still under the pain of the needle in her side. Knowing he was getting the truth, he pulled the one from her shoulder so she would retain use of that arm...but kept the other two in place. "Now....where is Ethan?"

"I don't know.... last I'd heard he was out on a contract." That was the truth at least.

"Do you really expect me to think he's letting you take missions on your own already...that the princess would?"

She nodded. It was true, they were.

He thought about it for a few moments, then reached and withdrew the needle in her side quickly.

"Take her to her cell," he told the two next to him. "She can rest; then bring her back when I am ready to continue.”

Marin swallowed, gasping as the needle was removed. Her face was pale, and sweat beaded on her forehead as she tried to fight the pain.

The two let her down on the floor, unhooking her from the harness and started to lead her out as J'oran began to consult with his other man.

* * *

Marin had lost track of time. The only indication she had was her meals – what little they gave her - and the interrogations by J’oran. Her teeth grated every time she thought of him. But she supposed that was how he wanted it. She lay still, conscious of the cool metal of the cuffs around her wrists. If she moved, she’d get jolted full of electricity again.

She could still feel the slight heaviness of her left hand and arm, which told her that she’d not be able to use that arm much. _‘Chakaar…’_ she thought, her thoughts dark for a moment before she breathed evenly pushing that thought away. She knew she’d been here maybe four or five days… that was on top of the two days she’d been on recon. _Almost a full week_.

Ethan would be out looking for her surely. He knew if she didn’t check-in, it meant trouble. A few slow breaths calmed her nerves as she lay there, the faint breeze ruffling her hair in the darkness. The air was damp and smelled slightly salty. _‘Close to the ocean…’_ she told herself. There were few systems near Tanagis that held planets with that much saltwater. It wasn’t Galan… the Cataani Navy still had the system blockaded.

Marin frowned, trying to remember her astrogation lessons from Ethan. The only systems close to Tanagis that had saltwater were Eriadu and Bestine. But the air smelled too clean for Eriadu. She’d been there on a recon before. And the entire planet reeked of starship fuel and garbage… and not in a good way. The salty tang of seawater made the air feel a bit clammy against her skin. It had to be Bestine.

She lay there for several minutes, flexing her wrists carefully. Master Karrde and Ethan had tried to prepare her for the eventuality of capture, and she was glad they had... though she was kicking herself for revealing as much as she had. She flexed the fingers of her left hand, trying to restore feeling as she felt something shift inside her sleeve. After a few more minutes, she felt a slim object fall into her right hand. This wasn’t going to be easy.

Shifting the small tool around in her fingers, she slowly began wedging it into the edge of the cuffs where she knew the electricity emitter to be. Stun cuffs were predictable in that they were all constructed the same way. She knew guards were close, but she’d not heard movement inside her cell since they’d brought her back last time. After several long minutes, she felt a faint jolt of electricity and then a faint click as the cuffs fell away. _Now, could she get past the guards and away from the base…?_

* * *

**Bestine – Aboard the** _ **Werda** _

"I don't see a place to land," Ethan said as he looked over the terrain on yet another area of the islands that was mainly large rocky spires.. "Never knew what this planet's terrain was like and I sure don't like it right now."

Callista frowned, tapping away at the sensor console. "Doesn't seem like a very friendly place..." She sighed. "How about there...?" She pointed to a flat patch of the ground slightly to the east.

Ethan looked it over carefully, judging the space. "Maybe just enough...hold on..." It took some delicate maneuvering, but he finally felt comfortable enough to finish the landing and started to settle the engines down. "Hope our taking the time to find a spot didn't alert them."

Callista frowned, rubbing at her visor for a moment as she looked over the sensors. "No movement I can tell... but then... I'm starting to get fuzzy on sensing things..."

He looked over to her. "Same thing someone tried to pull on that trail we were following...or something else?"

She frowned a bit. “Some of both..... but I feel a bit of a _void_ to the west... there's just... _nothing there_ in the Force......”

"Nothing?" he asked as he looked in that direction. "I hear tell that there's only one sort of creature that does that....and it ain't native to here."

She frowned. " _Ysalamiri_....."

"Now why, do you suppose, someone would have a ysalamiri here?" he asked with a grin as he got up and started to go to his weapons locker.

She chuckled a bit. "Only one reason I can think of...which means we're in the right place. But if so... that means they were expecting us too..." She rose and checked her rippers.

"Trap?"

"Trap....." She sighed. "Almost wish Jarius had known before..." She cut that thought off before it went further.

"He knew _something_ was up," Ethan said as he checked weapons and started to load up. "But even he wouldn't have thought they'd just bring the building down on him....hell, _I_ wouldn't.”

She chuckled a bit. "First time for everything. Wish we had more backup. Any luck on reaching the Marines?"

"I got ahold of Taylon and relayed the word, but I know they're expecting trouble from the Imps...maybe the Reps too," he said as he slapped in a fresh cell into his carbine and pulled the charging handle. "Got Sharon to alert the _Mando'ade_ too.”

"Aye, good idea that... though I know they have some problems of their own." She slipped a few spare cartridges into pouches on her belt, checking her sabers. "I'm ready if you are..."

He grinned inside his helmet as he looked at her. "Let's spring a trap."

She smirked a bit. "What do you have in mind, Ethan?"

"First thing is first. We need to scout and find them."

"That could take time... or not. Don't think heading that way right off would be a good choice."

"We'll skirt around it, get a lay of the land before we settle into an idea. Come on."

" _Lek_.. Lead the way. I'm not as familiar with the area. I'll keep an eye out as well."


	22. Chapter 22

**Coruscant**

“There can’t be anything left,” one of the men said as they kept combing over the remains. “We loaded enough baradium on that old thing to incinerate both of them.”

“We keep looking,” the team leader said as he looked over to one of the other squad members. “Picking up anything?”

“Just the ysalamiri we had onboard,” the one with a scanner said as he swept over the debris. “Not picking up any traces of human remains.”

“Old stories say they fade away when they die,” another said as he looked over another area.

“Should still be able to find some kind of trace,” the one with the scanner said. “And I’m not seeing anything here that tells me that they were in it.”

"Then we keep looking around,” the leader said as he walked over the scene. “We don’t report until we find their remains…or find them and finish the job.”

“There’s no sign here,” the scanner man said as he pulled up the explosion again. “Look at this, though…two things falling towards the Grand.” He pointed to indicate the hotel close to them. “Could have been them. There’s no other indication that their remains are in this wreck.”

“Let’s check it out.”

Quietly and discreetly, they went back to their speeder and crossed over to a service entrance to the hotel. The lead looked over the hotel map while the others kept an eye out.

“It’s a garden up top,” he told the others as he located the nearest lift that could take them there. “Might give us some cover while we find out about that image. Come on.”

There was no wait on the lift, and no others to see them get on. Once they reached the rooftop, they quickly spread out and started to go through the garden’s slowly.

“Got ‘em,” one said as he motioned the others over. “Looks like they made it somehow.”

“More fun for…,” the other started to say, then it went quiet.

“What?” the lead asked as he turned around from looking at Arie and Myk in time to see the incoming roundhouse kick that connected with his jaw. It broke on contact as he fell back onto the floor.

* * *

Arie had just woken with her danger sense flaring in time to see the group appear and was on the verge of summoning up what power she could to cover her and Myk when she saw the first person go down and the next fall back from the kick. A moment later, she saw Ryneas ducking the third man’s swinging his carbine like a club and delivered his palm right into the man’s chin followed by disarming him and grabbing him by the arm and throwing him against the wall with a hard thud. But the fourth started to come around.

“Behind you!” Arie yelled to him at the same time that the young man whirled around.

Ryneas had sensed the attack coming and saw as he threw the third man that the last on was started to run at him with a blaster pistol in hand. He wasted no time as his right hand went under his jacket. The fourth man thought he had it under control now as he ran up ready to shoot the youth at point blank range. Confidence turned to agony and pain an instant later when he saw a flash of light erupt near his hand. Ryneas had brought his lightsaber into play before he could pull the trigger and the blade came alive mid-swing and not only sliced through the pistol, but had also taken a few of the assailant’s fingers and part of his hand with it.

The man went down on his knees, holding what was left of his hand in agony when Ryneas’ foot shot out in a kick to complete his turn connected with his face and sent him back to the ground and rendered him unconscious.

The young man’s lightsaber was back in its concealed spot with a smooth motion as he looked around the scene and checked the bodies. All were unconscious, which was what he had intended. Even though they came with the intent to kill, it didn’t mean that he had to. His attack came with such swiftness that they would probably wake and not realize exactly what happened to them. But it was not a chance he was prepared to take as he went to each of them and tapped into the Force to wipe the sudden even from their minds. The only difficulty would be the one he was forced to draw his lightsaber against. Because of the weapon’s ability to cauterize wounds, there would not be much hope to restore the man’s hand to what it was. He shook his head as he finished his work and closed the distance to Arie and Myk.

“Are you two alright?” he asked as he knelt down with them.

“We will be once we get to a place so he can heal up,” Arie said as she went back to checking Myk. “He took the brunt of it. It’s a good thing you arrived when you did…I don’t know how that would have played out. You’ve definitely improved.”

“A lot of practice and practical experience since Msst,” Ryneas told her as he looked to see how he could get Myk up. “We’ve got to get off this rooftop and some place quiet.”

* * *

**Cataan**

Steffan was busy with preparations of his own on Cataan. All the meetings and planning taken care of, he was dressing himself in different attire now. Even if he wasn’t well known in the Remnant, the robes of a Jedi would be a giveaway. So he had decided to wear the clothes of a local trader. They were nondescript and would allow him to blend in completely while having the advantage of being able to keep any tools and equipment on his person including his lightsaber, should the need arise. Jarod and the others that were coming with him were similarly dressed and it wouldn’t be too long before their transport would….

“Steffan,” Jade said as she entered their room, looking at him in the new attire and scrunched her nose. She was always used to seeing him in his robes or a variation thereof, this seemed to different on him to her. “They’re here.”

“Good, they’re here early,” Steffan said with a smile to her as he finished adjusting his tunic and walked with her down the hall. The two she mentioned were waiting in the living room of the house and immediately stood up as he started to descend the stairs.

“Hal,” he said in greeting as he shook the hand of the first one and then proceeded to greet the second. “Amber…its good to see you two, just wish it was for a more social reason.”

“I agree with that,” Hal Garrett said as he patted the butt of the old Kimbec blaster pistol on his thigh. “Grandfather would want to come back and take his old blaster to do some hunting if he knew how Intelligence has been doing lately. One of his biggest pet peeves was the REMF’s not keeping the faith.”

Steffan nodded softly in agreement. Hal and Amber Garrett were a brother and sister team, part of New Republic Intelligence that was always known in certain circles as a group that did what it took to get the job done. For them, it was also a family tradition to do their part since their grandparents had taken up the mantle from smuggling…Dalton and Crystal Garrett.

“Believe me, when you sent us the info on them using one of our recon suits on you…I almost didn’t want to believe it,” Amber said as they sat back down. “But after I checked, I couldn’t believe that someone actually authorized it…and I could figure out whom, and my clearance is pretty damned high.”

“So we more than willing to help out on this if we’re being betrayed,” Hal told him. “But, I have to tell you, Master Karrde. If there are folks high up in Intelligence that’s in on this with Maxell, if it is him that’s leading this betrayal, our ship could be compromised the moment we entered Imperial space.”

“We won’t have to use it,” Steffan told them. “Your grandfather’s ship is in the hangar right now.”

That caught both the agents by surprise.

“But how?” Amber asked. “Dad sold it years ago.”

“I know,” the Jedi told them, filling in the details on Jarius’ death. “His daughter has had in safekeeping here while she has been training both with another _Mando_ and as my daughter’s padawan. It should be relatively unknown to the Imperials as well as your own people.”

"Then we have a ride then,” Hal said with a nod. “Its been a while since I’ve looked her over, you mind if I do the pre-flights?”

“Of course. Wouldn’t want it otherwise. This way.”

* * *

**Coruscant**

“Where are we?” Arie asked as she helped Ryneas get Myk settled down. He had been quiet on where they were heading since they had left the Grand, mainly because he was focusing on keeping attention away from them. They had been having to partially carry Myk since he was still injured.

“A few mutual friends set this up for us while I was on the way from Cataan,” the youth finally told her as they finished up with Myk so he could rest. “I’d say more than friends, actually.”

“You could say that,” another voice came from the door as the person who said it closed it. “Wasn’t easy, though, on short notice, but the Comman….sorry, the General, is worth taking the risk.”

Arie turned around, knowing that voice like she would have any others that were close to her. Byr Truhi, from Phoenix Squadron, was carrying a few bags of foodstuff and supplies. Hart Buchaw, also from the squadron, was with him, bringing in a few more sealed cases with him.

“Truhi!” Arie said in utter surprise at seeing her former pilots. “Buchaw…what in the name of the Force are you doing here. Phoenix Squadron…”

“Is on temporary leave, per Brink’s orders,” Byr Truhi told her as he set down his supplies. “We were attached to the fleet that was at Ord Canfree and he had something to say to the fleet commander about how the Cataani battlegroup was being left high and dry. As a result, the entire squadron is on leave here under his order…after he decked the fleet commander.”

She just shook her head, “That sounds like him. But what are you doing here?”

“Like young Karrde said,” Buchaw answered as he set down the cases. “We’re here to help. We’ve got provisions here and now some gear that might help us out. So…what’s first?”


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _Jate_ – good  
>  _Siit_ – Sith (singular)  
>  _Dar’yaim_ \- hell  
>  _dalyc'ad_ \- daughter  
>  _osik_ \- shit, crap

**Bestine IV - Day 5**

Ethan sat down on a fallen log and removed his helmet for a moment so he could take a drink from his canteen. They'd been skirting around the area for a few hours now, narrowing down towards the spot where Callista could feel the empty spot in the Force. He sipped slowly, looking over the next hillside. "No sign of buildings," he said as he kept looking over. "Good chance they built their stuff underground for concealment."

Callista nodded, squatting down and pulling her own canteen free to take a sip. "Most likely, or most of it at least. If I'm right, that... bubble should be pretty close to some water...." She closed her eyes. "Not as forested... right where I stop feeling things looks to be a beach area..."

"And not much place for anyone looking for them to be able to conceal themselves," he said as he pulled out a set of macrobinoculars. "They had enough brains to do that." He changed the setting on the macros and started to look over the area. "Partially concealed emplacements at different places....looks like E-webs too. Serious firepower."

She frowned and took the macrobinoculars from him. "I'm a bit worried though. If that... force user of his is inside that bubble... means they can't sense me....." She sighed. "It's going to be tricky..... Maybe...Maybe Marin had a chance..."

Ethan looked at his chrono for a few. "If they can't sense you coming, then maybe you'll have an even footing with him...actually, you might have an edge. Whoever it is he's got, the fella probably hasn't seen as much combat as you have." He looked at his chrono a little more. "If she's remembered everything we've taught her and they haven't done a lot of harm or have her in some kind of weird restraint...she should have been able to get loose by now."

Again she closed her eyes for a moment. "From what I know of J'oran, he wouldn't just ...leave her alone.... He... likes to assert his position... Xan and I saw it in his takeover of _Kyr'tsad_." Her face tightened. "We should be prepared for her to be.... a bit worse for wear... that way we can handle it better if that is the case." She stowed her canteen and rose to her feet.

He kept scanning the area with the macros when movement caught his attention. It was slight, but there was a movement of air coming from a spot several meters away from the emplacements and was still in the wooded area. "Check this out," he said as he handed her the macros and pointed to the spot.

Callista frowned, taking the macros from him. As she focused in, she breathed a quiet swear. " _What the kriff_...?"

"That look like an air vent to you?" He asked with a grin.

" _Lek_...." She zoomed closer, and then looked to either side of it. "Doesn't look like it's got E-webs that could put it in a crossfire either.... Sloppy, J'oran.... or did he do that on purpose..?"

"Or the place may have been here longer than J'oran's been occupying it. They wouldn't be able to build anything like that without attracting a lot of attention from the locals...that might be our ticket in. We'll have to check it."

She nodded. " _Elek_... Let's go then..." She got a tingle at the base of her neck, and carefully checked the charge on her rippers. "We may have some _Mando'ade_ backup..." she said softly. "I heard from Sharon."

"She have any luck?" Ethan asked as he replaced his helmet and checked his weapons.

Callista nodded. "She was able to get a few _, lek. Mand'alor_ couldn't spare many. But any help is good. They should be..." She trailed off, noting movement in the treeline. "Ah, there they are…”

"Nice timing," Ethan said with a grin as they moved to meet up.

She smirked behind her visor and moved out in front of Ethan to greet the one in the lead. A woman. Her hand rested on the butt of her ripper for a moment as they exchanged a coded greeting and then gripped arms. At that, she turned back to Ethan, gesturing to the small, but lithe woman behind her. "Ethan, this is Mesh'la Naast. She leads Naast clan.... which is mostly combat engineers and close combat specialists." Mesh'la nodded to him and gripped his arm. " _Su'cuy. Mand'alor_ told me you needed assistance... _Durza's dalyc'ad_?"

"Inside," Ethan said as he moved his head towards the bunker. "Ysalamiri covering her. An unknown number of _Kyr'tsad_ and probably a Force-user with them. E-webs covering the open areas, but there may be a vent shaft several meters inside the treeline not being covered. Could be a way in."

Mesh'la nodded, lifting a hand to her ear for a moment, and they could hear the muted conversation for a moment. "I and my _vode_ can cover you. I'll follow you in while they create a perimeter once we reach that vent... we need to get everyone back out... and then blow those _Kyr'tsad_ to _dar'yaim_...."

"Then what are we standing around here for?" Ethan asked as he led off.

Mesh'la and Callista shared a look and a chuckle. "He's always like that..." Callista told the other woman in low tones. "Figured he was.." she replied with a nod. "Can't say I know him personally, but I know his reputation. He gets things done, that's for sure." Callista nodded. "That he does..." She fell silent as they made their way single file through the undergrowth and towards the bunker.

It took a while, being careful to keep cover, but they made it to the vent all together and Ethan started to look around, using his scanners. "No booby traps, no sensors or tripwires....I'm not liking this. It's almost _too_ easy."

Callista frowned. "I can't... _feel_... either... so I'm blind too." Mesh'la shook her head. "Either way, we're blind..." She gestured to one of the other Mandos as they crouched in the brush outside the vent. The other one... Kandosii, if Callista read the lettering on his helmet, reached into his belt pouch and withdrew something small. "I can try to use this remote to get some visuals... not sure how long it's good for but better than nothing." He drew out a datapad and began entering commands as the small object hovered. "Any sensors on that vent?"

"Nothing I can see or pick up," Ethan said as he moved out of the way so the man could work. While he was doing that, he double-checked his carbine and the extra packs on his vest.

Kandosii nodded. " _Jate_..." He typed a few more things, and the small remote slipped though the vent. He directed it, keeping it up against the ceiling. The dark color of it's casing helped it blend in. Slowly, images started to come through the feed, and he angled the 'pad so the others could see it. The camera view showed cramped hallways, and periodically, one or two figures dressed in _Kyr'tsad_ colors were seen. As the drone moved farther, heavy doors came into view. One in particular looked like it had been fitted with a sensor. And two armed _kyr'tsad_ stood to either side of it.

"That's probably where she's at," Ethan said quietly as he reviewed the path. "No one near the other side of this vent?"

Kandosii tapped a few times on the controls, looking back at previous footage as the feed continued. "Two at the junction here...." He pointed to the bend in the corridor.

"Quiet work then," Ethan said as he moved his carbine around behind him and began to climb into the vent.

The young man nodded bending close to confer with Mesh'la for a moment. "Ethan... I can put this on a direct feed to your HUD, and send the drone ahead of you....." He tapped a few times, bringing the drone back to hover at the junction, the two sentries visible.

"Give me five minutes," he said as he started down the shaft.

Kandosii nodded and set the drone to move a few meters ahead of Ethan, giving him a view of what's ahead. As Ethan moved to the vent, Callista followed him, swinging easily into the small space.

"Wait here," he told her as he glanced down the corridor slightly and drew a blade from its spot on his left thigh. A minute later, the first was down and by the time the second heard the scuffle, Ethan's blade was jammed up through his jaw into his helmet. He let the man down easy so as not to make any noise before he withdrew and cleaned the blade. _"All clear,"_ he whispered into his comm.

Callista nodded, hanging back as she waited a few moments. When she heard the whispered comm, she moved forward, drawing a knife of her own. Better to keep this as quiet as possible. For a moment, she lifted a hand to her visor, shaking her head. Being without the Force made her feel slightly blind.

"You alright?" Ethan asked her as she climbed into the corridor behind him.

"I should be..." she replied softly. " _Shabla_ ysalamiri are playing havoc... I feel blind..." She turned to orient herself to what she'd seen. "Marin's cell is down that way..." She pointed to the east corridor.

"If that thing is close by, we'll leave a package with it," he promised her. "Can't kill it immediately. That'd alert the man that they have with them. Have to delay it some."

She nodded a bit. "Let's go get Marin. I have a feeling she's not too happy..."

They proceeded down the corridor quietly, alert to anyone that they might run into along the way till they reached the door to the cell. Ethan looked at the lock quickly before he took a small pen-sized object and held it close to the bolt. A moment later a softened sound as a blast came out of the object and tore through the lockbolt. A moment later he worked the door loose.

A soft shuffling was heard on the other side of the door. Marin peeked around the corner at the opening door, a chair clutched in her hands, even as her left arm drooped a little. Her face was pale save for a nasty looking bruise and dried blood crusted on her lips and chin and drawn with pain as she tried to bite back a curse.

Ethan heard it and just peeked his head around the door. "You wanna lower that club before you hit the wrong person?"

Marin swallowed and her hands shook badly as she tried to set the chair down without dropping it. "S...sorry..." She whispered, looking away. It was rather out of character for her, and Callista shared a pointed glance with Ethan as she noticed this. She also had caught how Marin continuously worked the fingers of her left hand... _her gun hand_.

Ethan noticed it too and held out his hand to take hers and looked over it. "What'd he do?"

Marin flinched and tried to pull away, shaking her head as she bit her lip. "Needles....... in the nerves.... hurt like _osik_ , or numbed... I.... don't know when..... or if I'll get feeling back.."

He gritted his teeth underneath his helmet and looked around. "Where's that ysalamiri?"

She frowned a moment and then pointed up. "At least I think that's where. I didn't get much chance to..." She broke off again and looked away, her right hand fussing with her hair a moment.

"Get her outta here," he told Callista as he looked up with night vision on his helmet clicked on. He could see the animal perched just high enough to block the room off. He reached into his pack on his hip and withdrew a thermal detonator with a sticky surface on it and he tossed it up onto the nutrient frame.

Callista nodded, mindful to take Marin's right hand as she led her out of the room, her free hand on her ripper. "Corridor's clear... I don't like this..."

"I don't either," Ethan said as he finished with the detonator and pulled his carbine around. "Like I said...too easy."

At that moment, the _thunking_ of footsteps was heard.... and four _kyr'tsad_ rounded the corner. Callista swore, bringing her ripper up as she moved Marin behind her. " _Kriff_ , we forgot to kill the cams.."

"Didn't see any cams!" Ethan said as he burst out of the doorway in front of the _kyr'tsad_. The surprise was momentary, but enough to Ethan to take all four down with a few bursts of his carbine. "Go, go, go."

Callista nodded and wrapped an arm around Marin's shoulders, pulling the girl with her gently as she swept the hallway with her ripper, checking for more attackers. She took down two more before they got too the vent. "Still too easy..."

"We're coming out hot," Ethan warned the others outside the vent. "They started rushing us. Better get set for an ambush."

 _"Roger that..."_ Mesh'la's voice came back. She started issuing orders for the others to spread out even as she moved. "All sett here... let me know when you're clear..."

"Callista should be reaching the vent now," Ethan said as he gunned down several more _kyr'tsad_ as he backed down the corridor, remembering the blast radius of the bomb he left behind. Once he got to the vent, he could set it off.... _Dar’yaim_ , he was far enough now, and they were already alerted. He tapped his wrist comm and soon, there was a loud explosion coming from the cell with smoke starting to fill the corridors.

Mesh'la watched the two clear the vent followed by Ethan. She grinned a bit as she saw a roiling fireball appear where the cell had been, followed soon by her own as she blew the vent behind him.

"Wait for a party or choose our own ground?" Ethan asked her, already knowing the answer as he slapped a fresh pack into his carbine.

She smirked behind her helmet. "Let's teach them how to dance... our way..." With that, she reached down and drew her own pistols, nodding to Callista. "Get Marin clear...." She looked to Ethan for confirmation.

"I blew that ysalamiri to hell for you," Ethan told them. "Should feel better now."

Callista grinned and caught the corner of Marin's mouth turn up. "Thanks.... it does...." She rubbed her forehead a moment. "Got..... half a dozen or more coming our way...."

" _Only_ that many?" Ethan asked as he started to lead the way back into cover. "Hardly seems fair.... _to them_."

She shook her head, frowning.”Twelve more coming around in a pincer attempt.." she continued, pointing to the treeline to their west. Then she dug out her spare ripper and shoved it into Marin's hand. "Ethan, did you happen to see her equipment belt?"

He pulled it off of his shoulder where he had it looped around and tossed it in their direction as he checked the rest of his gear.

Callista caught it in her free hand, going to a knee to help Marin buckle it on as she noticed her fumbling a bit. Marin looked at it, taking a mental inventory. _'Souvrin's saber was missing..'_ She looked up. " _Ethan..."_

"What?" He thought about it for a second then looked to see the group that was approaching....and one had a blue bladed lightsaber. "That son of a _Siit_... Ladies, that's gonna have to be your fight."


	24. Chapter 24

**Myrkr**

“He’s a classic kind of character,” Nik shrugged. “Gotta have a hidden fortress on a planet nobody has any business being on and surrounded by hundreds of kilometers of terrain that only wants to murder you.”

“Eloquently put,” Vincent had his eyes on the instrument panel. “Of course, the way you describe him, he sounds like a villain from a children’s holodrama. The local fauna does make it difficult to pilot, though.”

“He’s got the goatee for it,” Nik smirked as he gazed out the viewport. “We don’t need the instruments, Vince. Head for the biggest tree on the horizon.” He pointed out the forward viewscreen toward a massive tree jutting out high above the rest along the eastern horizon. Its leaves shone in the light like green-tinted mirrors.

The metal content of the plants on Myrkr, combined with the unusual fauna that occupied the planet made for a planet that nobody was interested in. The high metal content wreaked havoc on a ship’s navigational instruments, the predators on the planet could and had killed entire scouting parties, and the cutest animal in the forest had the ability to negate the Force completely in a 3-meter bubble around itself. It was perfect as a base of operations for a man who didn’t want to be found. Very few people knew about the place. Fewer knew that Karrde had kept it up. And, only one or two people alive in the galaxy knew the old man was sentimental. Nik-Yar Randar hoped against hope that Karrde’s sudden disappearance from the game meant he wanted a break, and not that he’d gone ill as rumor had it. The man had taken breaks before, and always without warning. How else would the most sought-after information king in the universe get any space to himself?

 _Still_ , Nik thought. _Even if I’m right…he’s not gonna be happy we’re dropping in on his time off._

“He _probably_ won’t shoot us,” Vince said, catching the feeling behind Nik’s thoughts.

“Guess we’ll find out soon enough,” Nik nodded out the forward viewport. “Let’s put her down there; just outside the compound. We’ll knock. Karrde likes polite.”

“Etiquette aside,” Vincent said, running through the power-down sequence. “I hope he likes us enough to not put a price on our heads. Even if he refuses to help, I’d consider that a win.”

“You’re such a downer lately,” Nik moaned as he moved toward the boarding ramp.

“The impending doom of the universe must have that effect on me,” Vince deadpanned.

They walked to the durasteel doors of the compound and knocked. Nik gazed up to a nondescript dot on the wall high above the doors, and waved, smiling. A minute passed with nothing happening. Then, almost reluctantly, the great doors creaked and began to roll apart.

* * *

**Coruscant**

“He needs a bacta tank,” Arie sighed, looking over the damage to her husband’s back and arms. He lay on his stomach with bacta bandages over the entirety of his back, sleeping for now. His breathing was still labored, but he soldiered on. Unfortunately, there was only so much she could do through the Force. She’d stopped the burns from going any deeper and had repaired what she could, but he needed new skin to grow. Creating something from nothing was still out of her reach, as far as the Force was concerned. “He needs a bacta tank and a skin graft. I need a drink, and all the intel we have on those four goons that tried to jump us on the rooftop. Ryneas?”

Arie turned from where Myk-Ron lay and sat gently on the edge of the bed. Ryneas looked up from his post at the door to the safe-house.

“I stripped what I could from them before we left,” The young man said. “No identification, a few republic credits, blasters of common make, nothing to identify them as part of any larger group. From that, I can guess they were professionals. Who they were, or who they were working for? I don’t know. We don’t have the equipment here to run scans on their weapons.”

“Makes me wish we’d had time to bring one back,” Arie blew a loose strand of hair away from her face. “But, their backup was probably there the moment we left. I doubt we’d find any trace of them in that rooftop garden now.”

“I’m sorry, Master Arie-“ Ryneas began.

“No, Ryneas,” Arie shook her head. “You did splendidly under the circumstances. I don’t think anyone could have done a better rescue job. I’m just itching for someone in my crosshairs.”

“So what do we do now?” Byr asked.

“I need to stay here with Myk,” Arie said. “But, we need to get him to the Temple. It won’t have been infiltrated, and the medical ward will have the supplies we need to get him back to fighting trim. That’s where you all come in. I want you to steal a medi-vac transport and some uniforms. Also, pick up some hair dye. Myk and I are too well known to risk being spotted.”

“Any particular colors you’re looking for, Boss?” Byr smiled. “Neon green? Flaming pink?”

“I can hurt you, Byr,” Arie gave him a smoldering glare, but softened with a wink. “I always wanted to try being a red-head. Get blonde for the fallen warrior here.”

Ryneas laughed. “Oh, Master Dinn will love that.”

“Serves him right,” Arie smirked. “Taking the whole of that blast by himself.” Her tone was disapproving, but her eyes gave her away as she looked lovingly on her husband. Even in uneasy sleep, she knew he could feel her love and gratitude. “Besides, he’s cute as hell when he pouts.”

“Whatever you say, Boss,” Byr saluted. “One med-evac transport and enough uniforms to outfit us all? We’ll be back in five hours.”

“Good luck out there,” Arie nodded. “May the Force be with you…with us all.”

“Roger that,” Byr turned somber. “Roger that.”

* * *

**Myrkr**

“I ought to have you shot.”

“I’ve not often been one to say it,” Vincent arched an eyebrow at Nik.

“Yeah, yeah,” the pirate waved the mercenary off. “You told me so.”

“But, I doubt it would do any good,” Talon Karrde continued. He sat behind a large hardwood desk situated at the base of a giant tree. The tree grew up in the center of the room, and its branches wove their way through the ceiling. Ysalimiri lazed about its boughs. He’d entertained Luke Skywalker in this room, and Grand Admiral Thrawn. He’d orchestrated the takeover of his predecessor’s vast information empire from behind the desk at which he now sat. This was more than a room. This was his history, written in permacrete and durasteel. “Even without the Force, you’d find some way to survive and pester me until I finally decide to leave this galaxy in a more permanent fashion.”

“Kinda resilient,” Nik-Yar smiled. “Aren’t we?”

“Yes,” Talon mused, stroking his chin in thought. “You share that, and other attributes, with a certain persistent insect.”

“Be that as it may,” Vincent was quick to cut in before Nik could retort. “Telling you why we’re here is probably redundant, no?”

“Clever lads, you are,” Karrde motioned to the two chairs in front of his desk. “Sit. If I had wished you harm, you’d have been harmed by now.”

Warily, the two rogues sat down. Karrde flashed a large smile.

“Now,” He said, tapping a few hidden keys on his desk. A holoprojector rose from a recessed portion of the desktop. The projected image looked like it was taken from a spaceport security camera. The still showed a busy hallway, various denizens of the galaxy shuffled through with optics forward and an air of hurried nervousness about them.

“This was lifted from a camera in Imperial City Spaceport on Bastion; hence the obvious nervousness of the travelers. The Imps have been tightening security procedures for some time now. Travel within Imperial space requires civilians to carry three forms of ID, and absolutely nothing that could possibly be or conceal a weapon. Apparently, they’re even taking nail clippers from their passengers now.”

“What do their travel posters read like?” Nik interjected. “Travel the Empire, a free frisking at every turn!”

“More to the point,” Vincent leaned forward. “What does this have to do with us?”

“I’ll let the footage speak for itself,” Karrde hit another hidden key, and the recording began to play.

The masses continued to shuffle through, harried and haggard. For a minute, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Then three men entered the hallway, dressed like everyone else, but their gait betrayed them. Despite what was clearly a practiced look of nervousness on their faces, their walk was that of professional soldiers. Their steps were even and strong. One man walked at point, in front of a hoversled carrying what looked like a coffin. The other two had positions behind the sled, their eyes alert.

Karrde tapped another few keys and the image froze and focused on the hoversled. Nik and Vince inhaled sharply. The coffin-shaped object was supposed to look like just another non-descript box, but upon closer inspection, one could just make out the instrument panel. It was stasis-chamber. And, on the belt of one of the two now obvious sentries hung the unmistakable cylinder of a lightsaber hilt.

“They’ve got your missing Jedi Master in there,” Karrde gave voice to the obvious. “We tracked the transport they boarded to a secure facility on the other side of Bastion. We’ve got the coordinates, but we haven’t got anything on the facility itself. That should tell you something.”

“It tells us this job just got really interesting,” Nik whistled.

“It tells you that facility is impossible to breach,” Karrde said as the image disappeared and the holoprojector sank back into the desk. “It tells you that nobody has the layout, that nobody knows how to get in or out, that the facility doesn’t exist.”

“Right,” Nik said. “ _Interesting_.”

“Will you give us the coordinates?” Vincent asked. “We’ve taken impossible jobs in the past.”

“Not like this you haven’t,” Talon warned. “This is something else, entirely. You try this, and you _will_ die. Of that, I’m certain.”

“Understood, sir,” Nik-Yar said, losing his trademark sarcasm. “May we have that intel?”

Talon Karrde looked them over, his gaze searching their faces, his eyes penetrating. They returned his gaze, and he saw their resolve. This was something more than a job. This was a mission. This was something bigger than both of them, and they would follow through on this with or without his help. He chuckled then and took a data disc from his front pocket.

“On this disc is everything I have,” He said. “You take this, and you use it. You find a way. You get help - _because you will need it_.”

Vincent accepted the disc, and pocketed it. “What do we owe you, Karrde?”

“ _A galaxy,”_ the information king said. “ _You owe me a galaxy that isn’t on the verge of chaos and destruction._ ”

* * *

“Now, do we contact Steffan?” Vincent asked as they piloted the _Phantom_ away from Myrkr.

“Yes,” Nik-Yar had yet to regain his joviality. The severity of the moment not yet passed. “Now we contact Steffan. Last I heard, he was on his way to Imperial Space anyway. With luck, we’ll be able to meet him on the way.”

“With luck, we’ll be able to contact him,” Vincent corrected as he plugged in an encryption code to the comm station. “This code is an older one. I’m not certain he’ll still be using it.”

“We try anyway,” Nik said, turning to look out the viewport. “If that fails, we track him down the hard way.”

“' _Interesting_ ' was an understatement,” Vince said before turning to the com. “Transport _Phantom_ hailing Steffan Karrde on secure frequency. Steffan, do you copy? Over.”

* * *

**Bestine IV - Day 5 - Outside the** _ **Kyr'tsad** _ **Base**

Callista nodded to Ethan, motioning Marin to stay close as she circled around the perimeter of the clearing. The approaching _kyr’tsad_ slowed and began to fan out into the trees, weapons drawn. As Callista pulled her presence even tighter, studying the group, Marin described briefly – using hand gestures how she was going to attempt to draw off that man…Larel. It would be similar to what she’d done to Ethan. _But would she be able to hold the illusion in her current state?_

The _kyr’tsad_ slowly closed the gap, their weapons drawn. It took a moment for Callista to locate Laurel, but then she saw him. The brilliant blue blade of Souvrin’s saber blazed in his grip. Her fingers tightened around her own hilt as she crept forward. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Marin crouched a few meters away.

Marin crouched behind a tree, her back to the rough bark as she clutched Callista’s ripper in her right hand. She wasn’t as good a shot with her right hand, but it would have to do. Breathing out, she pushed a thread of her awareness outward, searching for Laurel. She found him a few moments later, moving slowly in their general direction. Marin too had her presence hidden. Taking a deep breath, she formed an image of herself in her mind. She reached out. Placing it behind a tree about twenty meters away from her position, but well within Laurel’s range of sight. Slowly, she made it move away from the tree, crawling through the brush…. And made certain Laurel saw it.

Ethan found good cover and looked down the sight to the first man he had targeted. He kept tracking him as he looked over the others _. "Give them a few more meters,"_ he whispered on the channel. _"Then we nail the coffin shut."_

 _"Copy that..."_ Came Mesh'la's voice. She was about a dozen meters of to his left. Her voice fell muted for a moment as she directed her own people to fan out. Callista and Marin remained crouched where they were. Marin could feel sweat coursing down her neck as she slowly began to move the imaged so it would pass between her and Callista, hoping Larel would follow. Slowly, the _kyr'tsad_ drew closer, until Mesh'la could hear the twigs snapping underfoot. She lifted a closed fist, her gaze sliding to Ethan for the final call as she sighted down the barrel of her Verpine.

Ethan put the sight's dot just above the curve of his armor plating at his neck and fired a single full-power to take him down. He didn't have to see if the shot hit home, he knew his aim was good as he went to the next man in line.

Mesh'la followed suit and heard other shots from around her as the others did likewise. Six _kyr'tsad_ fell before they could even begin to scan for the shooters. The others spread out, ducking behind trees as they tried to pinpoint their assailants. Larel stalked forward, two _Kyr'tsad_ by his side, the brilliant blue blade still blazing in his grip as he used it to bat blaster bolts aside. His eyes narrowed as he spotted the movement of the Marin-apparition. He turned to follow it, waving the others back as he closed the distance. Under cover, Marin frowned, moving the apparition between the trees, and slowly towards her position as she and her apparition drew a bead on him and fired.

Ethan moved slowly through cover, moving his carbine on its single point sling to his left side while his gun hand drew the ripper at his thigh and drew aim and took out the first _Kyr'tsad_ he saw come up. Another came after him and the man quickly received a blast from his ripper at close range in the throat. Ethan kept scanning through the area, looking to see if J'oran was among them.

Mesh'la and the others continued to provide cover fire for Callista and Marin as they slowly drew Laurel towards them. Callista's fingers flexed around her own hilt, and she grinned in satisfaction as Marin's shot connected; driving Larel to a knee. It was then that she moved, leaping from her hiding place as her own violet blade swept down towards him, the shoto guarding her center.

Laurel blinked in surprise, bringing his stolen blade around, but he was a hair too slow. Callista's strike knocked his blade wide, and she followed up with a swift kick to the jaw, causing him to stumble away. With the ysalamiri gone, she'd fallen into the river of the Force, letting it wash over her and bring the forest into sharp clarity as she moved.

Ethan looked along the line and saw a one already running along in a different direction. The fight was as good as over and this one knew it. Instinct told him it had to be J'oran and he began to run alongside him, still under cover. He was gaining ground and was gaining a little elevation too as he finally closed the distance and jumped out in the open. He had the reach and he horse collared him by his armor and slung him down to the ground. J'oran's helmet came off when he hit and he had slowly started to come up, reaching for a blaster, but Ethan was up faster and kicked it out of his hand. "You think you're gonna get out this easy?" Ethan asked him as he took his own helm off and tossed it aside, his free hand going for a vibroblade. "You and I have business to settle and you aren't slipping away this time."

J'oran snarled at him, a wicked-looking knife already in his hands. "Would that have anything to do with a certain young charge of yours...?" He asked, a dark grin spreading over his face as he lunged.

The lunge took Ethan and he let himself fall backward, driving the butt of his knife into J’oran’s backplate. When Ethan’s back hit the ground, he pushed up with his knees and flipped the man over him. He came back up and blocked the knife lunge J'oran threw by gripping his wrist and twisting his arm around. He wanted to drive his own home, but J'oran's free hand came up and did the same to his wrist and arm. Ethan answered by head-butting the man away from himself.

Across the clearing, Callista and Laurel fought, her purple blade swinging quickly as she blocked and lunged. She could hear Myk's voice in her mind, helping her keep focused, even as she began to let go... to feel Laurel moving. Everything slowed to a crawl... and she acted. Her shoto slashed across the gap between them, sinking into Laurel's chest up to the hilt. He coughed in surprise, slowly collapsing to his knees as Souvrin's blade fell from his fingers.

Callista stared down at him, her dark visor filling his vision as she hauled him up by the collar and drove the blade in deeper. "This is my justice.... for what you have done to one of mine... and everyone _Kyr'tsad_ has killed." With that, she closed down her blade, his body collapsing to the ground as the blade supporting it faded.

"Come on," Ethan said as he looked at J'oran slowly getting up from the fall. "Time for a quick lesson in death, you son of a..."

Joran came up quickly, lunging forward again with his blade. _'Jarius was right'_ , Ethan thought. _‘As good as J'oran might have been with blasters and explosives, he hadn't taken the time to learn how to properly use a blade.’_ Ethan decided to make the lesson short indeed.

He gripped J'oran's wrist again, twisting it in a way to turn him around. As soon as the _Kyr'tsad_ 's back was to him, his snapped the arm up quick and it dislocated the shoulder. J'oran yelled in pain and Ethan used his free hand and cupped J'oran's chin and drew his head back as his blade sunk down and in right above the breast plate. He held it there and had driven it in hard. J'oran was still shaking from the shock of the strike and Ethan held him there for a few moments.

Callista pushed to her feet, reaching a hand down to pick up Souvrin's saber before looking to her left and tossing it to Marin, who caught it off-handed without looking. She kept it in her hand as they moved together through the trees, stalking the few remaining _kyr'tsad._ Callista could sense Ethan off to the west a bit, but she let him be as they turned to tracking down the last few.

" _That was for Jarius_ ," he whispered in his ear before he withdrew his blade and dropped the body to bleed out. He took a moment to clean the blade before putting it back in its sheath and closed his eyes before gathering his helmet. Vengeance fulfilled, his friend could rest easier now. But, there was still a job to be done and he had more of this cur's comrades to hunt.

Marin had stuffed Callista’s ripper in the back of her belt, flipping the safety on as she did so. She brought Souvrin's saber up right-handed, the blue blade hissing to life once again, just in time to block a blaster bolt zipping towards her head. She ducked, the bolt glancing off her blade and angling back the way it had come. She couldn't hold a blaster in her left hand, but she could still do other things. Frowning slightly, she lifted her left hand and flicked it, grinning slightly as the hail of blaster bolts headed in her direction suddenly reversed direction... and were followed shortly by a string of _Mando'a_ curses... and the sound of a few falling bodies.

Ethan picked up his carbine and slapped a fresh power pack in after he fitted his helmet back on. "Report."

Mesh'la's was the first to answer. _"We've cleared out the remaining Kyr'tsad, though I've no estimate on whether any remain inside the bunker…"_

Callista's voice came in then. _"That force user of his is down, I'm pulling back with Marin to the Werda..."_

"J'oran's been bled dry," Ethan said as he looked towards the bunker. "Who's got concussion missiles or proton torpedoes on their ship?"

Mesh'la spoke up _. "I do.... want me to slag that place?"_

"And the rest of us stand by outside of the blast radius to snipe anyone trying to leave," He told them. "This ends now."

 _"Copy that. Give me two minutes."_ The comm went silent for a moment as she took off towards her ship. Her voice came back as she slid into the pilot's chair. _"Coming in from the east, weapons hot. Duck and cover,_ vode _..."_ Her words cut off as the roar of engines assaulted their ears. A few seconds later, her ship cut down through the trees, orienting towards the bunker. Twin plumes of smoke blossomed from the forward launcher as she stabbed the firing control, sending two concussion missiles racing for the bunker. A muffled _boom_ could be heard as they impacted, followed soon after by a roiling fireball.

Ethan kept a close eye on the entrances he had seen...and was kinda disappointed that there were no runners that he could see. " _Haar’chak,"_ he said as he kept watch. "I was hoping for more of a fight than that."

Callista chuckled a bit over the comm. " _I'm kind of glad there weren't more...... I'm at the Werda now... Let's head home. I've got Marin resting in the spare quarters... Whatever J'oran did messed her arm up good..."_

"Have a needle?" he asked her as he started to walk back towards the ship.

Her confusion was clear over the comm channel. " _What good will those do? His damn needles are what_ fierfeked _her arm to_ dar’yaim _._ I might have a few spares in my medkit though..."

"Place one mid-way on the outside of her bicep," he started to tell her. "And another just below her collar bone. It'll pinch for just a moment, and then it won't hurt. Give it a minute or two and her arm should start to come back a little faster."

She frowned, mulling that over for a moment. But then it made sense. The placement would stimulate the nerves in that area. _"Will do...."_ There was a bit of shuffling as she stood and rifled through her kit. This was followed by footsteps and muted conversation as she entered Marin's cabin. Even Ethan could hear Marin's hissed curse before Callista's voice came back. _"Needles are in place....."_

"Minute for the one in the collar bone," he said as he entered the clearing where the ship was and began to unsling his carbine. "Half for the one in her arm."

She nodded, even though he couldn't see it, her gaze going to the timer in the corner of her HUD as she watched the seconds tick by. After thirty seconds she removed the one in the arm, followed by the one on the collarbone thirty seconds later.

"How did that do?" Ethan asked as he walked into the small cabin.

Marin was sitting up, carefully flexing her fingers. "It's helping. But _shassa_ it feels like a million needles in my hand.."

"It is still waking up," he told her. "Old Cataani method. Could be used for healing or torture... figures he'd know one of the techniques." He turned and started to walk to the locker to put his weapons away.

Marin sighed a bit and nodded. "At least that _chakaar_ is dead..." she whispered, leaning back against the pillows.

Callista turned and raised an eyebrow. "And... how exactly do you know that, _Et'ika_...?"

Ethan chuckled and looked back at the two ladies before he answered. < _How else_ ,> he said in a different tongue. It was one that made both of their eyebrows raise in surprise suddenly.

Marin stared at him, her mouth falling open. _<_ Buir _told me you were raised_ Mando'ad _..... how is that you know Cataani...? >_

"Galvis," he told him. "Cataan's third colony from the home system. Folks were on a trade run not too long after I was old enough to travel. They got jumped and the _Mando_ found me afterward. _Mando'ad_ may be my life and my home, but inside..." He thumped his chest softly one time. " _This_ is still Cataani." And with that, he turned and walked towards the cockpit.

Marin's mouth still hung open as she traded an astounded look with Callista. _< I....didn't know...>_

Callista shrugged. _ <Neither did I...> _She stood and helped Marin to her feet, guiding her carefully to the cockpit where they both strapped in.

* * *

**Aboard the** _ **Tracinya** _

“ _Steffan?”_

Hal’s voice over the intercom broke into Steffan’s musing and he looked up from the book he was reading in _Tracinya_ ’s lounge area. “Yes?”

“ _Got a comm signal coming in for you a moment ago. It’s on an old channel, but it’s secured, so I’m sure its someone that knows how to get in touch with you.”_

“I’ll be right there,” he said as he marked his place and set the book down as he got up. Jarod was in one of the bunks sleeping while they were en route. Amber and one of the other knights that accompanied them were engrossed in a serious game of dejarik and he smiled at the thought of the game as he walked towards the cockpit. Hal was alone at the controls, there really wasn’t any need for extra care yet as they were still in friendly territory at the moment. He sat at the console on the left side and picked up a headset and opened the channel. “Karrde here.”

“ _Its Vincent,”_ he heard on the other end of the signal. _“We’ve gotten some solid information on the mission you sent us on.”_

“Okay, can we talk about it here or would a personal meet be better?”

“ _We have holo footage along with other information that I’d rather not share over the waves, secured channel or not.”_

“I completely agree,” Steffan said as he leaned back. “Where are you now?”

“ _On the edge of the Myrkr system, fixing to leave out soon as we set a rendezvous.”_

 _Myrkr_ , Steffan mouthed to himself, wondering why their search led to Talon, but he nodded at the thought that he had a good-sized piece of the puzzle. “We’re a few hours from our layover in the Ylix system. I suggest meeting up there and we’ll go over what you have.”

“ _We’ll be there shortly.”_

* * *

**Cataan - Royal Palace**

Andrea was leaning against the balcony outside of their living quarters when Edward came up to her and leaned next to her.

“Ian is still finishing up his school work and I was able to get Katlin settled down for a nap,” he said to her as they stood there watching the afternoon sky.

“Thank you,” she said quietly as she closed her eyes for a moment.

“Marin’s capture still weighs on your mind, doesn’t it?”

She nodded softly. “I know I gave up several abilities, and I don’t regret any part of it. But part of me feels that I should have shared the responsibility of finding her along with Ethan and Callista.”

“They’re both experienced fighters,” he told her. “And you’ve trained Marin as hard as you can be able to. Between your training and Ethan’s, she’s got a lot of techniques to draw on. And I’m pretty sure Ethan and Callista hadn’t gone in there alone.”

“You’re right,” Andrea said as she snuggled in under his arm. “Just musing, I guess. I don’t even want to know how things went during the council session your father held today.”

Edward slightly grimaced at that comment. “The Intel wasn’t good. We’re still not getting any better cooperation from the Republic on anything. The council has decided that we’re going to have to use our own full resources and stop relying on anything that they give us on Imperial movements.”

“You realize that that action could be exactly what the Empire wants,” Andrea told him.

“That was mentioned, yes,” he said as he kept looking skyward. "Until we get news from your father and from the Dinns, we’re practically on our own…us and the allies that have continued the support we’ve all given each other.”

* * *

**Coruscant - Safe House**

Ryneas didn’t go out onto the balcony of the safe house, but he still stood near the window looking at the skyline of Coruscant.

“You have the feel of someone with a lot on your mind,” Arie said as she walked up.

“Was thinking about Ereena,” he told her. “I promised her that I would get word to her mom to get off-planet after I arrived. Commander Cadre would probably have already done that, but I still gave her my word.”

“And I know you’d want to keep it. I’m sure she’s already on her way, Ryneas. And I’m guessing that was a task your father wanted to be done too.”

The youth nodded. “He’s concerned about whoever is behind this using her office and designs against everyone, yes. He was also concerned about our archives falling into the wrong hands…that’s why he had me destroy the copies we had in the Temple.”

She nodded at this. “What about cover when we get ready to leave. I’m sure you didn’t come alone.”

“I didn’t. _Kure_ is hanging on the edge of the system fully cloaked with two marine assault teams standing by.”

“Good to know,” she said as she looked at the chrono on the wall. Truhi should be back soon.

* * *

**Aboard the _Tracinya_**

Steffan sat and watched the holo footage that Nik and Vince had brought on the dejarik table. There was no mistake about the image of the person in stasis.

“That’s Ainar…” he said to no one in particular, then sighed heavily. “What did you find on Barab 1, Vincent?”

“He was using an old fallout shelter, deep in a cave,” Vince said, filling in the details. “It looks like he left in a hurry, too. There were data discs scattered in the area, but they were all damaged. Wouldn’t have been able to pull anything off of them.”

“They’re taking full precautions,” the other knight, Vanin, said as he pointed to the image. “They were able to disarm him well enough and none of them show signs of injuries.”

“He saw the need to construct a lightsaber in a hurry,” Steffan said as he looked at the one hanging off one’s belt. “It certainly has his style...”

“ _Make_ one?” Nik asked, completely missing what Steffan had caught on about. “Why build one when he had one?”

“His lightsaber is in the case in my study,” Steffan said as he looked to them. “Where was this footage Talon supplied taken from?”

“He said Bastion,” Vince told him, the look on his face plain. “And he thoroughly explained the dangers of trying to get to him. The place is like a fortress, according to his information.”

“We may have to think about some alternate means of looking around,” Hal said. “Our cover of independent traders might not wash if they’re going through this much scrutiny that I’m seeing here. It almost reminds me of the old days.”

“I’m open to suggestions,” Steffan said as he looked to the group.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _Werda_ – Shadow  
>  _Chakaar_ \- corpse robber, thief, petty criminal - a general term of abuse

**Cataan - Karrde Residence - two days later**

The slightly chilly breeze coming down from the pass to Mt. Adan ruffled Marin's hair as she stepped onto the landing pad from the _Werda_ 's boarding ramp. So much seemed to have changed while she'd been… away. The Karrde house stood quiet. With Master Karrde gone, only Lady Karrde and Catharine stood off to the side waiting for them. Marin heard Callista's armored footsteps come down the ramp behind her, followed soon after by Ethan's heavier ones. After so long, she'd gotten to where she could tell them apart just by their footsteps.

For a moment, she just stood there wrapping her arms around her middle as she tried to hold off the chill. When Ethan's hand fell to her shoulder a moment later, she had to resist the urge to flinch. It was hard to forget what J'oran had done to her. None of her training had prepared her for something like that. When she turned to look up at him, she caught the tense set of his shoulders. She could feel his tightly controlled anger.... though it had ebbed some now with J'oran's death.

Marin started a bit when she felt a pat on her shoulder from Ethan before he turned back to the _Werda_ to lock down the ship. Though he wasn't Force-sensitive, he understood what she was going through right now. In the next instant, she found herself folded into a hug by Lady Karrde. While Marin didn't know her that well, she did sort of view the Karrdes as a second set of parents - another family. Master Karrde, and pretty much everyone in the Karrde family had been a huge part of her life for the last several years. Her entire body went rigid for the briefest of moments before she took a breath, reaching to the Force for calm.

"Marin.... I'm glad you're back safe...." Lady Karrde said softly into her ear, hugging her gently but firmly. They stood like that for a moment before she seemed to sense that Marin was getting a bit uncomfortable. "If you want, there's some _behot_ in the kitchen. It's in the kettle on the stove."

Marin nodded and murmured a quiet thank you as she slipped inside. Jade's gaze followed her for a moment before she turned back to Callista and now Ethan who had come back down to the landing pad. "She's withdrawn isn't she...?"

Ethan and Callista traded a look before Callista spoke. "She's very shaken." For a moment there was silence between the three. "She.... blames herself a bit for getting captured. I felt that very strongly. Aside from J'oran's... interrogating her...." Callista felt Ethan twitch. "When she was captured by J'oran's man... he cut off her Padawan braid to get her to talk...."

Jade's eyes went wide for a moment as that sank in. Then she nodded. The faint lingerings of despair made sense now. "And her arm...?" She looked to Ethan on that one.

He grunted, seeming to shake himself from his thoughts. "That _chakaar_ used an old Cataani method... one that can be used to either heal or cause pain. He used it to extract information from her. What information he got, I don't know. Nor does it matter now. He's dead." Slowly, he reached up and pulled off his helmet revealing close-dropped short hair that was slightly tousled. His fingers curled tightly around the lower edge of it as he tried to contain his anger. "Forgive the language, milady..."

Jade nodded after a moment. "It's alright.... if it were one of my children or Steffan, I would feel the same way." She gazed off into the forest for a moment. "Come inside. There's _behot_ and caf on the stove, and I'm sure you could use some downtime after the last few days." She led them into the house, knowing by now that they would dust off before following. The trio followed the scent of brewing caf and _behot_ to the kitchen where they found Marin staring into her mug at the table.

Callista shared a look with Jade as she poured herself a cup of _behot_ before making her way over to the chair to Marin's right and sliding into it. She hesitated for a moment and then gently wrapped Marin in a hug, holding her mug in her free hand. As she opened her mouth to ask Marin if she should call for Andrea, Callista felt her sister's familiar presence. And Marin did as well. Callista felt the younger girl relax ever so slightly. Callista smiled. " _Su'cuy_ , Andrea..." She grinned slightly at Andrea's look, but then sobered as she reached out to Andrea in the Force. _'She's alright physically except for a couple injuries... but she's still feeling a bit of guilt and despair....'_

Andrea nodded, giving her mother a hug before she grabbed herself a cup of caf and slid in on Marin's other side. Ethan had already claimed a chair at the end of the table, reminding himself not to prop his feet on the table. Andrea sipped at her caf for a moment before she leaned in and gently took Marin's hand, holding it firmly. a long moment of silence stretched between them. She knew Marin would talk when she was ready.

After several moments Marin spoke, her voice quiet. "I'd been scouting Tanagis V for a couple of days before I came across signs of someone else within a few kilometers of the house... _too_ close for my liking. I knew it wasn't any of the colonists... they keep to the southern hemisphere..." She paused and took a slow sip of her _behot_. "I finally found his trail... but I got careless.... and his snare caught me." Her left hand clenched a bit weakly around Andrea's for a moment as she bit her lip. She set down her mug, her right hand slipping inside her coverall to clutch Jarius' tags. _Manda_ , she was glad they were still there. She'd thought for sure that they'd been taken.

It was a moment before she continued, her gaze on the table. "He.... kept asking me if I was alone.... and who I was..... He eventually got the answer to both...." She sighed. "I guess he'd seen or heard of the DE-10's that _buir_ gave me.... and figured out who I was from there. He kept asking if I was alone... and didn't like my lack of an answer. Finally, he took a knife he'd been keeping in the fire and sliced off my braid..." She broke off then and looked away, ashamed.

Andrea nodded and hugged her. "You've nothing to be ashamed of, Marin. He was the one in the wrong...."

Marin shook her head. " _Nayc_... When J'oran began... interrogating me, he used needles. They either numbed for a long time or hurt... _a lot_...." She shuddered a bit at the memory. "I don't really understand why he was asking me what he did. But he asked me things about what we were learning; how many students were at the praxeum... how many had been knighted, that kind of thing." She frowned. "He also wanted to know about the strength of the Cataani Navy... but I don't know anything beyond basic information there..."

At that, the four adults looked at each other. _What could J'oran... or whoever had hired him want with that information?_ Callista frowned and looked to Andrea. "What possible use could he have for information on the praxeum? Military intel I can see... but the praxeum?"

Andrea sighed. "I don't know either. If daddy were here, he could figure it out. But he's off on a mission right now." She looked at the wall chronometer. "It's late. You should all get some rest, and we can talk more in the morning." She hugged Marin close and helped her to her feet.

* * *

**Keldabe, Mandalore**

The transit back to _Manda'yaim_ had been rather uneventful. Something Mesh'la was glad for after Bestine IV. With J'oran dead, most of the _Kyr'tsad_ had withdrawn to regroup. She'd put out scouts to their usual haunts, but so far no leads. That fact alone concerned her. The _Jai'galaar_ had put into orbit over _Manda'yaim_ only an hour before. Leaving a skeleton crew, for now, she'd released the rest to personal leave, and taken a shuttle down to the surface herself. While the mission itself had been a success, the disappearance of the remaining members of _Kyr'tsad_ was not something to be ignored.

The gentle bump of the shuttle making contact with the tarmac jolted her from her thoughts. Shaking herself, Mesh'la rose, tucking her _buy'ce_ under her arm as she strode off the shuttle and across the tarmac. She didn't need anyone to show her to _Mand'alor_ 's office - she knew the way. It took her several minutes to make her way across the city on foot. The signs of recent battle were still very evident, but she also saw signs of efforts to rebuild and repair buildings damaged in the recent attacks by _Kyr'tsad_. If one thing could be said for the Mandalorian people it was this: They were not a culture to give up easily. If one studied the history of the Mandalorians they would see evidence of this time and again.

As she drew near to _Mand'alor_ 's office, she heard voices inside. One, she recognized right away, but the other she did not. A frown crossed her face as she approached the door and raised her hand to knock before she saw it was already open. _Mand'alor_ Morut stood in front of his desk, speaking with another whom she didn't recognize. Her hand dropped to her Verpine in pure reflex, but she didn't draw. The stranger wore _beskar'gam_. A common enough sight on _Manda'yaim_ these days, but something about him set her on edge. She studied the scene for a moment before stepping into the office and clearing her throat, her thumbs hooked casually into her weapons belt.

" _Mand'alor_...when you have a moment, I need to speak with you..." The one she'd addressed turned towards her, a slight smile touching the older man's face. Parjai Morut had been _Mand'alor_ for close to a decade now. And it showed in his face. Leading a culture of warriors was no easy task. Especially when those who chose to call themselves _Kyr'tsad_ took it upon themselves to destroy those who fought for the greater cause. While it was true that Mandalorians and the _jetiise_ had been at odds for centuries... and that was putting it gently... They'd had to work together to bring down _kyr'tsad_. Mandalorian scouts had been an invaluable help when the _Jetiise_ needed a different set of eyes in a situation.

It had been especially valuable when reports of _kyr'tsad_ operating in Cataani space had surfaced. The Cataani may have good relations with the Jedi order, but this called for a different approach.... one that required people used to dealing with such matters. And that was where Mesh'la and her crew came in. With help from Sharon, and getting in touch with the right people, _Mand'alor_ had received clearance to send a contingent into the Galan system.... as well as sending Mesh'la and her people through Cataani space on their way to Bestine IV. It had shaved at least a day off their transit.

But what mattered now was the result of her mission. And that wasn't something she wanted to share in front of some _aruetii_. _Mandao'ad_ he might be, but she didn't know him and thus didn't trust him. One couldn't be too careful; especially these days. She waited a few moments as Parjai spoke to the other man. After a few words, he turned and left. Finally, _Mand'alor_ turned to her, his face serious for a moment. "Mesh'la, it's good to see you again..." He smiled at her, something that was good to see at such times.

She nodded, all business as she shifted her helmet to her left hand, thumping her chest for a moment in the formal salute before she smiled and sat down. " _Ni ceta_... habit...."

He chuckled. "I trust your mission went well...? I got your coded message a few hours ago. I'm glad to know the young Durza got home safe. Much thanks to you, Mesh'la."

She tried to wave it off. "Just part of the job, sir. _Shab_ , it's the least we can do for Ethan.... and Jarius... _Manda_ rest his soul." They were both silent for a moment before she spoke again. "There were perhaps three dozen _Kyr'tsad_ operatives on Bestine... they'd dug into an old base.... looked like a remnant from the last Galactic Civil War... It was well hidden. I met up with Ethan.... and a Master Gseran, I think her name was. Married to Qenadius if I recall." Parjai nodded again, offering her a mug of _behot_ before motioning her to continue.

She sighed a bit. "I don't much know what happened to the young Durza, but she was favoring her left arm when Ethan and Callista recovered her. I'd think they are back to Cataan by now." A faint frown crossed her face. " _Mand'alor_....I'm concerned. The _Kyr'tsad_ are much bolder. Granted, that was due partially to J'oran. I saw Ethan take him down. He deserved to exact vengeance for Jarius. But what of the remaining _Kyr'tsad_...? I know there still are pockets here and there, but they aren't in their usual places." She rubbed at her forehead. "I'll keep looking of course, but we must be diligent."

* * *

**Coruscant Skylanes**

It was the lack of motion that woke him. The soothing rumble of the engine, the clean whistle of air, the background noise of flight had vanished along with the vibrating feeling of motion. He didn’t know where, but he knew they’d arrived. Myk-Ron opened his eyes to see a pretty red-head in a medivac uniform hovering over him, the top two buttons of her coveralls were undone and her ample breasts nearly smothered him as she leaned over to undo the clasps holding his gurney in place aboard the medical transport.

“Do you charge extra for the bed-side service?” the Rogue managed to grin through the pain.

She startled and looked down at him with icy blue eyes and a mixture of faux anger and amusement on her face. “You didn’t know it was me at first,” Arie said, shaking her now-red mane. “And, you were flirting?”

“I didn’t know where I was,” the Rogue shrugged then grimaced. The act of moving caused the burns on his back to stretch and tear. He floated atop several bacta bandages that kept the burns from worsening, but they did nothing for the pain. “It’s a good way to catch a person off guard in case I needed to make an escape.”

“Uh-huh,” Arie rolled her eyes as she rolled the Rogue back onto his stomach to take the pressure off his back. “Sure.”

“Honest!” Myk-Ron protested, turning his head so he could see Arie’s waist and the side door to the medical transport beyond her. Another set of legs came into view, also in medivac attire. “Where are we, anyway? And, what’s with the uniforms?”

“We’re heading into the Temple, Master Dinn,” Ryneas’ voice was above him, the new set of legs belonging to him. “The uniforms and the transport were… _acquired_ by some of Phoenix Squadron. With your recent attack and the general tension on Coruscant, Master Arie felt it would be best if we traveled incognito.”

“Hi, Ryneas,” Myk coughed weakly.

“Hello, Master,” Ryneas said. Myk could almost hear the kid’s grin.

“Now, you stop talking,” Arie chided. “Your lungs need to focus on breathing. We’re gonna drop you in a bacta tank for a day while we plan our exit.”

“And, track down what we can on your attackers,” Another male voice entered the confined space of the medi-vac transport. There was a hiss as the rear doors opened, and the sunlight streamed in. Soon, Myk was hovering along the permacrete promenade on his gurney with four sets of footsteps echoing around him. “It’s Byr Truhi,” the voice continued. “And, that heavy set of footfalls is Hart Buchaw. Phoenix Squadron aces, at your service.”

Myk grunted a quick greeting, and watched as permacrete gave way to granite tiling as they crossed the threshold of the Temple. The cool re-circulated air inside set his back to stinging, and he bit down on his pillow to keep from groaning.

“No need to be brave, Master Dinn,” Ryneas said. “There’s almost nobody here to hear you scream. The Temple has been mostly evacuated. All that remains is the equipment, and a few techs closing down the records room to make sure all of our data is safely erased. Besides, anyone looking at your back wouldn’t dream of begrudging you a moan of pain.”

“Yeah, Sir,” the other voice, Hart, spoke up. “It looks like Master Karrde tried to roast you on his open grill.”

Myk-Ron did moan then at the thought of his seared flesh. That would be a lovely scar to add to his collection.

“Oh, stop being so vain,” Arie sighed as they rounded a corner and pushed into the medical wing. The gurney stopped next to a bubbling and ready bacta tank. “I’m putting you in a healing trance while you’re in here. Yeah, it’s gonna scar, but when are you ever going to be staring at your own back?”

Myk let out a defeated sigh.

“Such a whiner,” Arie laughed. “Now, you three, help me get him up. We need to strip him down and get him in the tank. Then, we’ll get some food and go over the evidence, and our exit strategy.”

Myk groaned mournfully.

“Yes, Nerfherder,” Arie smiled. “We’ll save you some food for when you’re out. Now,” she looked to the other three. “On three we lift. One…two… _three_!”


	26. Chapter 26

**Bastion [Middle of Nowhere]**

“This isn’t going to work.”

“Have faith! It’ll work.”

“I do have faith. I have faith that we’re going to be shot at very soon.”

“Quiet! We’re nearing the gate. Everyone check your gear. This isn’t going to be pretty.”

The four of them rummaged through the tool belts around their waists, checking the gear they’d stowed in each. They wore mechanics coveralls, had ident-badges, and they all wore a look of hurried dishevelment. It was just past oh-two-hundred local, and they were heading toward a non-descript gate in the middle of nowhere, off a gravel road with signposts every twenty meters warning that unauthorized vehicles would be met with extreme force. Luckily, their vehicle was meant to be here. It was a large, box-shaped transport that rumbled softly over the terrain at a pace just faster than a broken down tug. It was uniformly brown, with the exception of the white lettering on the sides that read simply, “mechanics.”

Steffan rechecked the cylindrical tube of engine grease in his tool belt. Felt the weight of it in his hand, and the object hidden within with the Force. His lightsaber had fit snugly into the tube. He pushed it back into his “borrowed” utility belt and looked to the others. Hal, Jarod, and Vincent stood with him in the personnel portion of the transport. Nik, being the team member that most closely resembled his stolen identification badge, was driving. The quintet of Imperial Mechanics that Steffan and his team had replaced were sleeping peacefully in an abandoned barn about ten kilometers away.

Vincent hunkered down and closed his eyes, radiating nothing but calm. Not much could excite the mercenary. Whether the insertion ran smoothly or their cover was blown and it was to be an all-out fight, not much could ruffle the war-hardened veteran.

Amber had been left behind with their ship. Hal and Jarod had just a little more field experience, and the mechanic team they’d targeted was all-male anyway. Aside from that, her upbringing in the Hapes Consortium gave her that certain quality that made bribing starport bureaucrats that much easier. Hal was nervous, though, and Steffan could sense it through the Force and see it in their eyes.

“Steady, boys,” he whispered, and he added some reassuring strength through the Force. “Lock it down tight. Pull yourselves in, and shut down your presence in the Force. We need to be calm; collected. We do this every day. We are mechanics. This is our job.”

They were nearing the gate-house now. Steffan could feel the transport slow to a stop. He suited the action to words and completely shut himself down in the Force. It wouldn’t do for the gate-guard to be Force-sensitive and pick up on the quintet of Force-using mechanics in the transport. Hal and Jarod visibly calmed. _They’d do._

“Late night repairs?” The voice was muffled, but they could hear the gate-guard conversing with Nik in the driver’s seat. “You look like you just woke up.”

“Yeah,” They heard Nik reply. “Blasted heat’s gone out in the lower levels again, and _krif_ if they’re going to go four hours without it. Oh no, call in night shift again, they’ve got two full hours of sleep, they oughtta be fine!”

“Hey,” the Gate Guard replied. “Could be worse; you could be stuck in a four by four shack in the middle of nowhere with nothing to keep you company except your thoughts and the random security update.”

“Touché, buddy,” Nick said. “Touché.”

“This is taking too long,” Vince whispered, his hand sliding into his tool belt. “He’s stalling.”

“Give it a second,” Steffan whispered back, shaking his head.

There was a pause that stretched into infinity it seemed. The tension rose within the transport, and Vincent seemed to be vibrating in anticipation. Then the engine revved up, and they were on their way.

Hal and Jarod visibly sighed with relief.

“Don’t count your blessings just yet,” Vincent warned. “We’ve got our work cut out for us.”

The two nodded in reply. Steffan produced a stolen datapad, and the four went over the layout and the plan once more. They’d be entering through a service gate into the hidden bunker. Their “maintenance” plan had them taking the freight lift down to the fortieth floor below the surface, just above what they hoped was high-security prisoner containment on the forty-first.

The entire floor was coded restricted on their stolen datapad, and the layout had been blanked. On top of that, Steffan could sense a strange waxing and waning of Force energy combined with extreme pain emanating from that level of the complex. He didn’t know what they were doing down there, but the thought of Ainar being dragged through it made his stomach tighten.

This plan was nigh suicidal, he knew, but it was necessary. They’d be killing many birds with one stone in this. They’d found Ainar. They’d located a secret Imperial Facility where they were holding at least one Force-user prisoner. They would be gathering information as they went about the rescue mission. And, they probably wouldn’t get another chance at this. Silently, he said a prayer to the Lady. Above all else, he just hoped they’d all make it out alive…

* * *

**Bastion [Secret Imperial Complex]**

“ _Krif off!_ ” Xan growled at his captor and oppressor. “Or unshackle me, and meet your end.”

He was strapped to a vertical table, cables and diodes attached to his head and running to a bank of pulsating machines behind him. He was underground, far underground, and he was on Bastion. What they were doing, he didn’t know, but he’d found them. The Sith and the Empire were working together again, it seemed. And, they were up to something… _terrible_. The wounds in the Force seemed to be fewer in this region of space, but…deeper. He could feel the machines somehow drawing on his own connection with the Force, feeding on his strength, draining his energy. He didn’t know how, but he knew they were behind it all. He couldn’t even begin to guess their purpose, though. He stared daggers at the Sith Lord pacing before him.

“Such _anger_ ,” the Dark One said, his voice calm and deep. “Such arrogance. Do you really think you could injure me in your weakened state? Yours would be a short attack followed by an even quicker death. But, we have…better uses for you.”

“Like I said,” Xan bit out between surges of pain. The machine seemed to draw on him in waves. “Let me down, and find out.”

“Oh, you’re so very _boring_ ,” The Sith lamented. “Let’s see if we can elicit a different tune, shall we?”

Xan had been expecting this, and he readied himself for it. He could feel the machine warming up to draw on him again, and the Sith raised his right hand. Lightning leaped from the Sith’s fingertips and connected with Xan’s bare chest. He channeled the energy through himself and into the machine. Behind him, sparks ignited, and recognition filled the Sith’s eyes. He cut off his attack, but it was too late. The machinery over-loaded from the surge and the monitor banks surrounding the table to which Xan was strapped exploded outward in a shower of electricity and glass.

Xan’s shackles slackened as the power in the room dipped, and he used the moment to slip free of his restraints. He dropped to the floor and tore the electrodes from his head. The Sith had just recovered, hatred and anger burning in his eyes. Xan didn’t give him a chance to attack. He lunged at the Sith and slammed his bulk into the far wall. More monitors shattered as the Sith’s head bounced off the viewscreen. Xan managed to wrap his arms around the Sith’s ribs, muscles tightening, he squeezed. The Sith pounded on Xan’s back with his fists, raining hammer blows down between his shoulder blades, but Xan only drew on the Force and squeezed harder. There was a loud crack, and the Sith gasped for air once before blood spilled out of his mouth and he began to gurgle and choke. Fear replaced the anger in his eyes as Xan dropped his limp body to the floor. Grasping at Xan’s legs, the Sith died choking on his own blood.

Xan knew he didn’t have much time. By the time he’d grabbed the lightsaber off the Sith’s belt, the alarm klaxons were already splitting the air with their high-pitched wail. Hastily, he fished the keycard from around the broken Sith’s neck, and he went to the door. It hissed open upon his approach. The hallway outside was lit with strobing red light, but the footsteps he heard and the presences he felt in the Force were all heading away from his position.

Having learned long ago to never question an opportunity, Xan broke into a run down the hallway. From what he could remember of the layout as he was dragged to the experiment chamber, he was heading in the direction of the holding cells and the security room for this floor. With luck, he could take out the security guards and retrieve his gear from the storage lockers they’d placed it in upon his incarceration. There was a data disc hidden within his helmet that had all the information he’d gathered thus far on it. And then, he’d rescue Ainar. He’d seen the old Jedi in a stasis chamber near the holding cells. He had no idea what the Sith were doing with him in stasis, but he wasn’t about to leave him there.

Xan rounded the corner. Just ahead was the door to the security station. Through the window, he could see two guards, staring intently at the forward monitor; luckily in the exact opposite direction. He crept forward slowly, keeping low along the corridor. He stretched his senses and noticed the guards were not Force-sensitive. He stopped below the counter window and grinned to himself. Stretching out with the Force, he grabbed the two guards and sent them sailing through the window and into the opposite wall with enough force to shatter their necks. Their bodies fell crumpled to the floor, and he rummaged through their pockets until he found the security key. Quickly he waved the key in front of the sensor on the security station door and was pleased when it whisked open before him.

Xan rushed to the storage lockers and quickly found his gear. He hurriedly pulled on his armor and checked his weapons. Smiling, he slipped on the helmet and beamed at the rush of information pouring over his HUD. _Now for some final information gathering while the base is in relative chaos._ He moved to the monitor banks and clipped a data feed into the main computer. Thanks to a decrypt routine uploaded by Sharon before he left for this mission, all Xan had to do was select “download all” on his armor’s internal computer to start siphoning off anything and everything of any import from the base’s main computer. Instantly, myriad new and exciting klaxons and lights erupted to join in the general din, and a loading bar floated into view at the bottom right of his HUD.

While the download progressed, Xan pulled up prisoner files, and noticed nearly every prisoner was a Force-sensitive of one kind or another. He made a note of Ainar’s cell and another note that they’d apparently released him from stasis. He was scheduled for…"experimentation" the following day. _Not if I can help it_ , Xan thought. He checked the progress bar for the download again and silently urged it to move faster.

His HUD pinged with a few new heat signatures heading his way. He checked the progress bar again…seventy-five percent full. His internal computer pulled up the map of this floor and placed five red dots in the approximate location on the map. Steadily, they moved closer and closer to rounding the corner and coming into full view of the forward window. Xan gripped his lightsaber in his right hand and a ripper in his left, and ducked down behind the computer station, preparing to leap.

Almost simultaneously, his HUD pinged with a “download complete” message and two Sith Warriors with three base guards rounded the corner. They paused when they saw a fully armored Mando through the Security station window. Hunched as he was, his HUD automatically started pulling targeting data on the five enemies down the hall. Grinning, he launched the small-grade concussion missile loaded into his jetpack. The rocket shattered the glass and screamed down the hall in a matter of seconds. The Sith warriors raised hands to deflect, but the range-to-target sensor had them beat. The missile exploded, turning the air in the general vicinity to fire, and vaporizing all five enemies where they stood. The corridor walls buckled and blackened, but the vents soon kicked in and cleared the smoke.

Xan vaulted through the window and started off toward the prisoner cells and Ainar’s dot on his HUD map.

* * *

**Bastion [Secret Imperial Complex]**

“Here’s where the fun starts,” Nik grinned as he shed his stolen mechanic's coveralls, and checked his blasters and lightsaber. They all wore their own clothes and combat gear under their stolen uniforms for just this occasion, and they all stripped off the useless things as quick as they could.

On the bright side of things, they’d made it to the security level where they knew Ainar was being held. On the downside, nobody had a map, the alarms tripped the second they exited the lift, and they could all sense dozens of armed guards and Sith closing on their position fast.

Steffan, Nik, and Vince formed a wide semi-circle in front of the lift doors while Jarod and Hal held close to the doors. The lift opened onto a three-way intersection. There was a corridor heading straight ahead, but blast doors had slammed shut about twenty meters down the hall when the lift doors let the would-be rescuers off. The hallways to either side ended in corners about thirty meters from their position.

Steffan stretched his senses. The bulk of the force seemed to be coming from the left-hand passage. The forward passage’s blast doors served the rescuers well enough by eliminating another possible attack front. “Vince! Nik! Eyes left!” Steffan ordered, suiting the action to words by moving to a point position facing the left-side hallway. Nik and Vince fell in behind and to the right and left of him. “Jarod. Hal. Watch our rear, but keep an eye on the blast doors as well. Call out with any contact.” The two young men took up guard positions to their rear. Jarod with his saber held ready, and Hal his blaster.

Steffan could feel a good-sized group nearing the corner. Within seconds, they’d round it, and the fight would be on. He rolled his shoulders once and began to calm his mind and fall into the flow of the Force. He could feel the energy dance around him as he began to…”let go” as Myk would say. His silver blade rested easily in his hand, and, despite the onslaught rushing toward them, he felt nothing but peace.

To either side and slightly behind him, he could feel Nik and Vince doing the same.

Nik had the feel of cool, collected confidence belying his usual jovial and unserious manner. As the pirate fell deeper, the Force seemed to rush through him. His golden blade hummed in his hands.

Vincent was a dam, waiting to burst. The Force rushed into him and trickled through in snake-like tendrils. It waited only to be released. His crimson blade cast his pale skin in a blood-red hue and shone within his eyes.

In an instant, their enemy appeared before them, rushing down the hall to meet them. There were four Sith with a group of twelve Imperial Stormtroopers. The same thought passed through Steffan, Nik, and Vince in a heartbeat, and, in unison, each outstretched a hand, palm to their attackers. Simultaneously, they let down the dam each had been holding up. The Force rushed through them in a torrent greater than the highest waves on Kamino. A veritable wall of pure Force energy erupted down the hall, buckling the walls.

It slammed into their opponents like a garbage scow propelled by a Star Destroyer’s engines. The force of the impact alone was enough to shatter the bones of the front six stormtroopers, the rest went sailing into the far wall, some of them died instantly when their necks snapped on impact. Others were not so lucky, broken ribs puncturing lungs, shattered spines paralyzing all nerve function. Two of the Sith managed to soften their landings and escape with mere bruising. The other two suffered the same fate as the troopers they led.

“Sith,” Steffan said quietly as he looked over the two that had died with the troopers. He had gone over the security footage several times on the way to Bastion with Vanin and Jarod. There had been something about the way those men had walked when they were escorting Ainar’s frozen form. It made him suspect, and the proof was now in front of him.

The warrior on the floor in front of him was one he had seen before on the battlefield at Msst. Steffan closed the man’s eyes while Nik and Vince quickly dispatched the other two and had rejoined him along with Vanin and Hal Garrett.

“You had said a few years back that some had survived,” Vincent said as he looked around. “If he was here, then there have to be others here as well. Gives us some explanation on who is behind these Force Wounds. I can sense several of them here…deep ones.”

“Something I don’t get,” Nik said while Vanin and Hal started to look down the corridors for additional incoming. “The alarms went off just as we got here. This is a lot just for a first response, not knowing what set the alarms off.”

“We didn’t set it off,” Steffan told them as he closed his eyes and opened himself up farther. Further down the corridors, he could feel it, like a magnesium flare amongst all the cold. “There’s been an escape and he’s causing worse havoc than we are.”

“He’s having all the fun,” Nik chided in. “I say we meet up with him.”

“We need to,” Steffan told them with a bit of surprise. “Its Xan…how in the Force did he end up here is a question for later.”

He re-ignited his blue/silver blade and started down the corridor. “Chances are he might know where Ainar is being held. Let’s go.”

* * *

_ **C.S.S Valkyrie** _

“You asked me to come up, Admiral?” Wes said as he walked up to Payne’s command chair on the bridge.

“Is the fleet wing ready for hostile recon work?” Matther asked as he handed him a datapad. “Third Fleet is back up to full strength. We’re going to start doing our own probe once we’ve linked up in the Aleen system.”

“Who’s going to cover the area that Third Group was going to patrol once they left the dock at Catain?” Wes asked as he read over the tasking order and the course of systems that they would be going into on their way to Imperial space…and it was a good, size list of objectives.

“We received word that those behind what happened on Galan have been dealt with. I didn’t get the details, but Seventh has been released from the constant patrol they’ve been holding there.”

“I’ll start getting my flight crews ready.”

“Wes..”

“Sir?” the CAG asked as he looked back towards Payne.

“This came directly from the top,” Payne started to tell him quietly. “The Imperials cross our path while we’re still outside the recognized border for the Remnant…we don’t hesitate to open fire.”

“Aye sir,” Wes answered as he informally saluted. “I’m sure Ellia and Kam were glad to hear that news…so with my bunch.”

* * *

**Bastion [Imperial Complex]**

“You realize,” Jarod said as he cut through another trooper down from the bunch that recently appeared as they went through the corridors, “that, at some point, whoever’s in charge here is going to call in every trooper on this _planet_.”

It was the third group so far…and this one didn’t have the short-lived advantage of having Sith with them as some of the others have. Between the four Jedi and former Intelligence operatives, they had been making short work of the complex’s security contingent. Considering that the Jedi were battle-hardened and well seasoned, it was an unfair advantage.

“If they’re not any better than this,” Nik answered as he parried several blaster shots back towards the ones that fired them. “I’d say bring them on. I could keep this up all day.”

“They may not all know about this place,” Steffan said as he finished taking down the last guard and looked around to see that they were clear for the moment. “I’m sensing that there is more Sith here than Imperial personnel.”

He closed his eyes and focused himself and stretched out with all his senses. There was disarray, no doubt. Between what felt like Xan breaking out of whatever situation he was in combined with the arrival of Steffan and the others, the Sith that were here were caught off guard. So far, the initiative laid with them and Xan, but it was inevitable that, given time, their hosts would soon organize themselves.

“He should be just down this corridor,” he told the others, pointing down a junction with his lightsaber. “We need to meet up quick while the element of surprise is still working for us.”


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen to Apocalyptica's "Faraway" while reading this. I feel it really reflects what Callista is feeling.
> 
>  _Dalyc'vod_ \- Sister  
>  _gedet'ye_ \- please

**Cataan - Karrde residence**

Two days had passed since the _Werda_ had returned to Cataan. While Marin was recovering physically, she still woke in a cold sweat, bad dreams haunting her. She'd tried to throw herself back into her training to distract herself, but it didn't do much good. She sighed in frustration her left arm still twinging with discomfort as she worked through some of her forms on the Karrde's patio with a bokken. She didn't trust her hand to hold a heavier weapon yet.

Andrea was there to guide her through the katas, herself and Callista helping her to run through some healing techniques to regain full use of her arm at a faster rate. Ethan remained as well, taking the time to up his training at the invitation of Taylon's marine unit. It was a learning experience for both parties. He returned to the ship and stretched to relax before he walked towards the porch of the Karrde's house when he saw Callista sitting there with a look he never usually saw on her. "You're bothered," he just said out of the blue as he looked at her.

Callista was startled out of her thoughts at Ethan's voice beside her. She jumped slightly, surprised that she'd not noticed him. A moment of silence fell between them before she spoke. "Something's wrong... It's Xan..... He's.." She stopped, clutching at her head for a moment at the intense pain that flooded their bond.

"Trouble?" Ethan asked, knowing that expression. "What is it, Cal?"

She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees as she tried to focus and breath. "He's..... in pain.... terrible pain..... As if he's been hurt....." She froze, her gaze tracking to Andrea and Marin for a moment as she remembered the Council meeting a week or so back. "He was... heading to Imperial space..." In an instant she rose to her feet, swaying slightly as another wave of agony washed over her.

"Hold on there," Ethan said as he stopped her by holding her arms. "You're in no condition to be heading out anywhere right now."

She glared at him. "I'm fine. You should look after _Mar'ika_." She stood there for a long moment, taking several deep breaths to focus. "Ethan... I _have_ to....." She swallowed before her voice would have cracked, clamping down on her emotions... even from Andrea. She had her saber... and her XJ-3 waited in the Karrde's hangar. She took another breath, this one deeper as she drew on the Force much as Steffan or Myk would. "Ethan... _**let me pass**_."

"Don't," Andrea said as she interjected herself into this. "Callista, don't do this. I can sense the turmoil that's going on."

"Not happening," Ethan said gruffly as he continued to hold her. "Marin tried that path, you sure aren't going to try it."

Callista growled at him, hissing a curse.... a show of how much effort she was expending. She pushed at him in the Force, twisting free of his grip and driving a fist towards his throat. Though she tried hard to keep her focus, Xan's agony throbbed behind her eyes as if it were her own... the curse of being such a strong empath.

He saw the punch coming, her reaction time not as quick as he'd seen it on previous occasions, and he moved his head out of the way. The motion spun Callista around in the state she was in and Ethan wrapped her up from behind and held her tight. "Stop it," he growled at her. "You're not going to be able to help either one of you like this."

"Listen to him, sister," Andrea pleaded. She didn't close the gap, knowing that Ethan could handle her, but knowing that there were guards present too and she sent a pre-arranged sign to them that everything would be alright before they decided to close in on what was happening.

She stiffened in his grip. biting her lip. "I _can't._... I've never felt it this strong before.... something's very. _very_ wrong..." She twisted, trying to drive an elbow into Ethan's side.

"You don't know what the situation is," He grunted in her ear quietly, despite the elbow to his side. "If he is in Imperial space, he's not alone. Steffan and others were going in there too. They may know where to find him."

She twisted again. "It's... not just that... I feel something else with this....." She looked to Andrea, pleading, " _Dalyc'vod, gedet'ye..._ "

Andrea closed her eyes for a moment,, drawing calm to her as she spoke. "Sister.... if you go after him.... you could get into a situation where there would be no one to help you... We need you here..." She opened her eyes again, looking directly at Callista. "I don't feel I need to remind you what happened ... _last time_." Callista froze, her face paling as if Andrea had slapped her. She still felt responsible for it... and Ainar's current state.

Ethan looked to Andrea and back to Callista, but still held the young lady in check. He didn't trust the situation enough to let her go yet.

Callista growled in frustration, and in spite of Andrea's warning, she lifted her left foot, driving it back into his knee. She'd had a lot of practice fighting in and against _beskar'gam_.... maybe not as much as he did... but…

" _Gah!_ " The move was unexpected and Ethan winced as his grip on her slackened slightly...but enough.

She twisted free, stumbling for a moment before she found her footing and ducked around him. She didn't draw a weapon... but she couldn't deny the sinking feeling in her stomach. Marin had stopped her kata, watching the scene unfold in silence. Her heart ached, for she knew what Callista must have been feeling. _But Ethan was right.._

"No...you... _don't_ ," Ethan said with a growl as he went down and he now shot his leg out, catching Callista behind her knee and sent her down the steps towards the ground.

"Ethan!" Andrea yelled at him.

"Stand back!" he answered back as he walked down the steps slowly. "She saddled this sand panther...now she can see if she can ride it."

Callista rolled head over heels down the steps, shrugging out of her cloak as she came to her feet. Her hand went to her sabers and she saw Ethan pause. But instead of igniting them, she tossed them in Marin's direction. She knew better than to use it here. Marin's blue eyes went wide and she barely caught the thrown hilts, only doing so by pure reflex.

He walked around, deliberately positioning himself between Callista and the Karrde's landing pad. Andrea recognized the move instantly...as she had been told, it had been Myk and her father that stood between Ainar and the landing pad at the Temple. " _Your move_ ," he said to her quietly...yet, there was a tone to it she never heard from him.

Callista stared at him for a moment, her eyes slightly wild and haunted as wisps of hair fluttered into her face from her braid. She'd faced off with him before, but never like this. Her fingers flexed for a moment as she studied him. He wore almost full _beskar'gam_... save the helmet. Thus, he was a bit more protected than she was. But - she had learned to fight both ways. She flexed her fingers again, light on her feet as she studied his stance. In the blink of an eye, she moved, charging forward, ducking low to drive a shoulder to his stomach before she ducked around behind him and drove an elbow into his back. _**Fierfek**_ _it hurt_... but she didn't care.

Ethan took the blow and went down, but landed on his hands and threw his legs out to entangle them with hers. He twisted on his back to bring her down to the ground with him. He quickly got to his feet and just as Callista was starting to get up, swept her legs out from under her again.

She fell hard to her back, gasping a bit. She swept her legs around and rolled to her knees lunging towards him to drive an elbow to the side of his face.

Ethan lifted his hand and deflected her elbow at the last moment, using his own to drive into her rib cage. When she bent from the force of the blow, he grabbed the collar of her tunic and turned, throwing her over his shoulder.

Callista sucked in a breath in surprise, letting it out just before she tucked her head, rolling along the grass. _**That... hurt**_. She pushed to her feet again, drawing on the force slightly to give her speed as she charged him, her fists up to protect her face. She sent a jab to his left side - a feint that she followed up with a swift right knee to the ribs before she backed off.

She only backed off a short distance before Ethan was right up to her again. His first jab was deflected, but it was what he wanted as his next blow went through the opening that was left and connected to her side again. His turned and the followup went to the other side before he ducked her attempt to counter him and he grabbed her ankles and threw her to the ground again. He stood looking at her getting up while he wiped the back of his hand across his mouth. "I can do this all day, _dala_ ," he told her as he set himself up in a guard stance. "But you're still not going anywhere."

She glared at him, blowing a few strands of hair out of her face. "You'll have to knock me out then... because I won't stop trying....." She felt a jolt from Andrea at her words, but she didn't care. _Xan's agony tore at her..... and there was a cold feeling buried within it. Something bad was going to happen..._

* * *

The fight went on for a good twenty minutes before Ethan finally got in close enough to jab a sedative needle into Callista's shoulder. She swore but went limp almost immediately. Andrea pinned him with a rather disapproving look, but at least she wouldn't be running off now. He grunted a bit, hefting her slim form in his arms as he carried her up the steps. "Sorry, your highness. One thing you'll learn about _Mando'ade_... most times it's better to let them work out their feelings... Better than letting her go off after him in the state she's in."

Andrea shook her head at him, still disapproving. But... she had to admit that he was right. She followed him into the house, Marin trailing behind as Andrea signaled to her guards that it would be alright. Ethan gave Jade a look. "Your pardon, Milady... I'll clean up after."

Jade nodded, frowning a bit as she saw Callista in his arms. "Is she..?"

Ethan sighed, wiping his forehead with a bandana after he laid her gently on the couch. " _Nayc_... she's fine. I just tranqed her after letting her work off some of her frustration. Can't have her running off again..."

Jade raised an eyebrow at him, prompting him to explain their conversation. Jade sighed. "Aye, Andrea was right in what she said... Callista can be a bit... hot-headed at times...." She didn't elaborate, and Ethan shrugged it off. Probably some _Jetiise_ thing. "She'll be out for a few hours... but I'd keep an eye on her anyways.... she was pretty worked up. If I had a guess, I'd say she saw something in the Force.. at least from how she was talking."

During their conversation, Marin slipped into the kitchen, grabbing a broom before she headed back to the entry, sweeping the dust away. She knew all too well what Callista must have been feeling... for she'd felt much the same when _buir_ had been killed. With the entry swept, Marin went back into the living room and perched on the arm of the couch, absently flexing the fingers of her left hand before she lifted them to prod carefully at the fading bruise. _Shab_ , it still hurt.

Ethan saw the look on her face. "Still bothering you, _Mar'ika_..?" She nodded. He turned back to Jade for a moment, continuing his explanation of what had happened with Callista. "From what Cal said... Xan's.. in pain.... With him heading into Imperial space at last report.... it stands to reason he may have fallen into _Siite_ hands. If that is the case... I can only hope the others find him. It's hitting Cal hard..."

Jade nodded again. "I can understand what she's going through.... and I'm sure Marin can too..." she said softly, laying a hand on the girl's shoulder. Marin smiled a bit sadly, still prodding at her face. Ethan frowned at her. "Did you have Cal see to that....?" Marin shook her head, and Ethan gave her a disapproving look.

"It's fine.." she protested. "Doesn't hurt.."

Ethan snorted. "That's a load of _osik_... I've known you long enough to be able to tell when something's bothering you.." He looked sideways at Jade and Andrea, grunting an apology.

Jade moved around, kneeling in front of her. "Let me see, Marin..." Marin squirmed for a moment, stilling as Andrea laid a calming hand on her shoulder. Gently, Jade probed at the bruise with her fingertips, being as gentle as she could. Her face settled into a frown. "Broken.... why didn't you say something...?"

Marin shifted a bit and looked away for a moment, guiltily. "I'm sorry, milady. I just… I don't know."

Jade and Andrea shared a look. Even Ethan understood why she hadn't. Jade just smiled reassuringly. "It's alright, Marin. Let's see if we can heal it...." She closed her eyes for a moment, reaching out to draw strength from Andrea as well.

Marin tensed, but tried to breathe through the discomfort as she could feel the Force begin to surround her. She breathed out, reaching to the Force herself to stay calm. She felt a tweak as her cheekbone shifted back into place, and she sagged back into the couch gritting her teeth against a curse.

Andrea smiled sympathetically, sending out a wave of calm. "Relax, Marin. Should hurt less now."

She nodded, gritting her teeth for a moment as she breathed into the pain. "Thank you, Milady..." she whispered to Jade.

Jade's answer was to smile and rest a hand on Marin's shoulder for a moment. "You should rest now…"

Marin sighed, stealing a glance at Andrea before she stood and headed upstairs. Lady Karrde was allowing them to stay at the house while she healed and recovered. Andrea was keeping her lessons short as well.

When Marin had gone, the three adults looked at each other. "I'm glad I was able to do something. If it had been any longer I might not have been able to..." Jade said after a moment of silence.

Andrea frowned. "I knew she was holding it back, but I didn't want to push... not after what she's been through."

Ethan nodded. "Probably a wise decision, your highness... I know she took the whole thing rather hard.... I may not be Jetiise... but I have known her long enough to get a decent read off of her just from body language."

Andrea smiled at him before stealing a glance at Callista, still lying on the other couch. "It is certainly a useful skill to have."

Ethan followed her gaze and sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Your highness... I know you'll probably object... but you saw how worked up Cal was..." He hesitated. "I uh.... would like your permission to keep her on the _Werda_ for a night or two... We can't risk her going, as you said."

Andrea frowned again. "As much as I hate the thought of it... you're right, Ethan. We can't risk it. If Xan did get captured... then there's nothing we can do except hope the others reach him in time." She sighed. "Alright. Go ahead. In fact, it's probably the safest place for her right now... considering her mental state..." She still sounded a bit troubled though. _If what Ethan had said was true... had Callista in fact foreseen Xan's death...?_ Right now, there was no telling.

With a nod, Ethan gathered Callista in his arms and lifted her from the couch. "I hate to do this, _Cal'ika_ \- but it's for the best...." he whispered almost to himself as he nodded politely to the other two women and carried her outside. The _Werda_ still rested on the landing pad, gleaming duly in the wash from the landing lights. He made it across the grass, and to the landing pad. His boots _thunked_ on the permacrete as he ambled around the curving edge of the lower hull to the boarding ramp.

For a moment, he set Callista down, punching in the hatch lock code before he picked her up again. He really hated to do this, but he would do everything he could to prevent Callista from walking the same path _Mar'ika_ had tried to. He picked her up again, stepping into the small cargo bay before he headed towards one of the small bunk rooms. Sticking her in the Werda's holding cell didn't feel right.... but if it came down to it, he would. For now, he laid her down on the empty bunk. And he would make sure she stayed there, even if he had to tranq her again. Karrde and the rest of the Council.... _nayc_... the galaxy didn't need to be losing another Jetii... least of all a Healer... and one he considered a good friend.

He sighed, wearily rubbing his face for a moment as he pulled in a chair from the galley and sat down, watching over her. The tranq would wear off in 6 hours. He set the alarm is his HUD to wake him an hour before that, and leaned back against the wall, his helmet on and his eyes closed.


	28. Chapter 28

**Coruscant – Jedi Temple – Master’s Residency Level offices**

“ _Mommy! I don’t want to be a blonde!”_ Evelina protested.

The holoprojector brought her daughter to miniature life atop Arie’s old desk in the Masters’ offices of the Temple. She had her arms folded tightly around her stuffed taun-taun, and a look of defiance set upon her little face. Arie smiled at her daughter. “I suppose we could make you a red-head, like me,” She said. “Either way, it’s just something you’re going to have to live with, for now.”

“ _But…but…I like my hair,”_ Evelina looked positively disheartened now _. “Can we change it back when we get home?”_

“Yes, dearheart,” Arie nodded. “We’ll change it back. Just be a good girl for Mr. Ven, and do as he says. We’ll be seeing you soon. Remember, keep quiet, don’t look at any cameras, and keep your eyes down. Has Geoffrey got a place to hide?”

Evelina looked down at her stuffed taun-taun, and nodded. _“Yes, Mommy,”_ She said. _“He’s going to be in my backpack. I guess I can be a red-head for a little while.”_

“That’s my good girl,” Arie beamed. “Don’t worry, sweetie. We’ll see you soon! Put Mr. Ven back on for me, please?”

“ _Here he is,”_ Evelina waved. _“I love you, Mommy!”_

“And, I love you, Evelina!” Arie waved back, and watched as her little girl stepped away from the view-sensor to be replaced by their lawyer. “Nawara,” She said as the Twi’lek came into view. “I don’t know how we can ever repay you.”

“ _Nonsense, General,”_ Nawara bowed. _“As always, it’s my pleasure. We’ll get your daughter to the Temple safe and sound. Have you already made your exit plans?”_

“We have,” Arie blew a strand of crimson hair from her face. “When can we expect you to arrive?”

“ _We’ll be there in an hour,”_ Ven said. _“Until then.”_

“Until then,” Arie nodded and shut down the connection. She tapped away at the in-desk datapad for a few minutes more, thoroughly erasing all traces of the brief transmission. Satisfied that the station was clean, she shut off the lights and headed back down to the Temple hangar. On the way, she replayed the last twelve hours in her head.

The assassination attempt was jarring, to say the least. And, it would have been successful if Nawara Ven hadn’t had that slicer activate the knock-out gas. The ysalmiri had gone to sleep just in time. That split-second of Force-awareness before the bomb went off had been enough to save Myk and Arie, _but only just_. It was a professional job, and well-funded. Truth be told, Arie hadn’t seen that kind of dedication to the craft since the heyday of the old Empire. But, that seemed to be the way things were heading these days. Iceheart Jr. was rebuilding her namesake’s legacy out there in Imperial Space. Had she just made her first play at the Republic? It seemed somehow wrong, based on the old Iceheart’s M.O. The act of blowing up two ex-republic military figures rang with more than just military malice. There was a hint of instability to it that sat uneasily with Arie. Having a tactical genius behind the Empire again was bad enough. Throwing in the unpredictability of possible insanity was just the icing on a cake made of awful.

They’d run the confiscated weapons through the remaining Temple equipment and had come up empty. The more they dug, the more they learned that everything about this little operation was professional. Still, they were no closer to any real evidence besides Arie’s gut feeling, and overall darkness in the Force.

What was certain, and unsettling, was that Maxell had some part in all of it. Arie doubted he knew about the assassination attempt, but he had pushed for their arrest. He had pushed for their immediate transport. She wasn’t sure what had made him turn, but she vowed she’d find out. And, she thought as she boarded a turbolift at the end of the hall. If it turns out that he’s still jealous of Myk, I’ll let the Rogue pound him into a fine paste…provided I don’t get to him first.

Arie’s footsteps echoed off the walls of the Temple as she wound her way through the various, and empty, hallways and stairways on the way to the hangar. She shook her head and called on the Force to clear her mind. She wanted to take it all in, preserve it. The way things were looking, she wasn’t entirely sure the Jedi would return to these once-sacred halls. In the echoes of her footsteps bouncing off the vaulted ceilings and granite walls, she could hear the history of the Order. She could feel the echoes of thousands of students, Knights, and Masters who had lived, studied, trained, and taught within this ancient structure rebuilt. Skywalker had always been criticized for being overly nostalgic, but, as Arie ran her hand along the smooth dark wood balustrade of the main hall stairway and could feel the warmth spreading in her hand, she had to admit the Farmboy had a point.

She reached the personnel entrance to the hangar and cast one last look behind her before stepping through the door. She reached out with the Force to a hidden panel behind the near wall, only accessible to the Masters. With a resigned sigh, she manipulated the wiring within to rearrange the circuitry in a pattern she’d memorized long ago. She opened her eyes as the lights began to dim within the Temple. Blast shields closed on all windows and entrances, the background noise of the ventilation systems died away. All of the Temple’s internal systems shut down. The only power it would draw would be to power the external security. In essence, the hallowed halls had now become a tomb. Arie didn’t know when or if they’d ever be back.

The sound of engines warming up brought her out of her reverie, and she took off at a trot to the two shuttles waiting in the hangar. Myk was up and out of the bacta tank. His back would need another day of light activity before being fit to fight, but the Rogue was fit enough to fly. He sat with Evelina in the cockpit of the number two shuttle. They’d be taking the craft off-planet under the identities of two Knights and their padawan. The Knights had gone missing around the time the Force-wounds began popping up, but Coruscant’s records hall didn’t know that. It felt…odd to be using another’s misfortune to cover their escape, but, as long as their enemies thought them dead, Myk and Arie would have an advantage.

They needed to regroup, and the best place they could do that was Cataan. Nawara Ven would be meeting the Dinns at a secure location outside Coruscant’s gravity well where they could swap the shuttle for the _Firebird_. Arie climbed into the navigator’s chair aboard the shuttle, letting Evelina sit up front with her daddy. The little girl squealed with excitement, and Arie was reminded once more what it was she and her husband fought for. With a wink, Myk-Ron lifted the shuttle, gentle as a feather, out of the hangar and into the open air. He waggled the wings as he cleared the Temple Proper, waving goodbye to the other shuttle. Ryneas still needed to pick up Nib, and Arie left Byr and Hart with him for added muscle.

“Safe journey, Kyle,” Ryneas called over the intercom, using the identity Myk had assumed. “We’ll be seeing you.”

“You too, Kid,” Myk returned. “Force be with you.”

Arie wished they could have said more, but they just couldn’t risk it over the comm waves. She sent her love through the Force and watched as the Coruscant skyline slowly shrank to be replaced by a backdrop of stars. Once clear, the shuttle lurched as Myk kicked in the sublights and steered them onto their rendezvous course.

* * *

**Bastion [Secret Imperial Complex]**

_Blast doors. There had to be blast doors!_

Xan ducked the swing of an orange lightstaff, and rolled out to his left, blocking a few blaster bolts and managing to return one back to the sender. He snapped back toward the Sith, blocking high-outside with his saber in his right hand. In his left was his ripper, and he loosed two shots at another trooper. That stormtrooper slumped against the far wall, and Xan would have smiled, but two more swept in to take their comrade’s place. And, on he fought.

He’d made it to the detention center lobby. It was a circular room with hallways at regular intervals along the walls, like spokes on a wheel. The hallway he’d entered from was due north, and it was from there that fresh troops and guards were pouring in. The other hallways were all lined with cells, and their blast doors were down. The controls to open them were in the very center of the room, at a circular command desk where two guards currently slumped over the console, dead. He just needed a minute, if that, with the console to send an override command through, and open all the detention center doors. But enemies kept pouring in, and things were looking bleak.

Xan continued to duck and parry the Sith’s attacks, but every moment his blade was entwined with the Sith’s staff was a moment it wasn’t blocking blaster bolts. His armor was already scored with dozens of grazes, and he could feel heat through one of his thigh-plates. He took his eyes off the Sith for a fraction of a second and emptied his ripper in an arcing salvo at the stormtroopers. Two dropped, dead. Three more dove for cover. That accounted for all the blasters in the room so far, and for a few seconds, he could focus on the Sith. The ripper’s power cell was empty, he dropped it. He caught a blow high-and-outside and held it there. He managed to wrap his fingers around the middle of the Sith’s hilt, his fist and, more importantly, his wrist-mounted flame thrower was pointed at his opponent’s chest. With a thought, the device activated, dousing the Sith with liquid fire. Some of it splashing back, and singeing Xan’s glove. The Sith released his staff as he fell back screaming. Xan flipped off one of the blades and turned back to the stormtroopers. In a flash he was among them, hacking with both his blade and the newly acquired orange blade. They fell, and, for the moment, he was clear.

The Mando raced for the console, knocking the dead guard off the screen and to the floor. He located the data jack, and plugged in. Navigating his HUD in an eye-blink, he quickly set the hacking program Sharon had installed to work on opening up all the blast doors. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he watched the loading bar progress, slowly. He could hear the sound of pressurized gas being released as deadbolts slid out of position. The program had nearly run its course. Louder, though, was the sound of footsteps, and from the north hallway stormtroopers began pouring fire toward Xan’s position.

Still tethered to the console; and wishing desperately for his suit’s internal computer to run faster, Xan ducked down behind the desk. Sheets of red light flashed above him, the desk behind him began to glow a dull red, and the progress bar on his HUD had _still_ not finished. Gritting his teeth, Xan prepared to arm his last fragmentation grenade. _If he could only survive long enough for the doors to open, so be it. He’d blow the grenade and take the whole room with him, leaving the prisoners a better chance to escape_. His finger rested gently above the arming switch, his HUD pinged with a completion message, and he was just about to throw the switch and dive into his enemies when he noticed the blaster fire had abruptly stopped and new sounds had joined the cacophony. There were screams, and curses, and at least three new lightsaber blades.

Xan returned the grenade to his belt, and unplugged from the console. The sounds had died down, and he cautiously stood. When he saw what lay before him, he nearly laughed.

Steffan, Nik, and Vince picked their way over the recently dead stormtroopers and Sith as two others who Xan didn’t know were soon to join them. They entered from the north hall, and Steffan crossed to where Xan stood while Nik, Vincent, and the others each took a hallway and began helping the prisoners.

“Good work on the doors,” Steffan said, eying the now holey desk. He pointed to a rough outline of Xan’s body on the front of the desk. “If it hadn’t almost killed you, that blast pattern would be comical.”

“Luck’s not run out yet,” Xan grunted, still in a kind of shock. “How did you know I was here?”

“We didn’t,” Steffan looked to the Mando, grinning. “Nik and Vince were tracking Ainar, and their search led them here. I had planned a recon mission to Imperial Space anyway, so I attached my team to the rescue operation as a means to kill two birds with one stone. Your being here leads me to believe your ‘luck’ is quite good indeed.”

“Steffan!” Nik called as he emerged from one of the four prisoner access halls. “You’re not going to believe this!”

Xan and Steffan turned to see Ainar with Nik in the doorway, looking haggard, but grinning wryly. “I hope you came in on a large ship, my friend,” The old Jedi Master said as he stepped forward and wrapped Steffan in a hug. “It’s good to see you.”

“And you,” Steffan smiled broadly. “And, it’s a large-ish transport. Why?”

In answer, Ainar merely gestured at the dozens of people now filling the detention center lobby. Some of them looked a bit worse for wear, and Hal, Vanin, and Vincent were helping a few of them limp into the room. All of the prisoners were Force-Sensitive, Steffan could feel as much, but what sent his heart soaring was the number of missing Jedi he saw in the group.

“The Force is truly with us this day,” Jarod beamed.

“We still need to get out of here,” Vincent added darkly. “I don’t suppose any of you know where your belongings are being kept?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Xan spoke up. His HUD was monitoring the main computer, and a priority warning had just flashed across his eyes. Flammable gas was being pumped into the atmosphere; the whole level was set to incinerate itself, and the timer said they had all of three minutes to evacuate. “Grab what you can from the corpses, we have to go. _Now_!”

Immediately, everyone snapped into action, grabbing up blasters and Sith lightsabers. Xan and Steffan took point and led the group down the north hallway. “You have a map downloaded to that HUD of yours?” Steffan asked.

“Yes,” Xan replied, taking the group on the fastest route he could to the freight lift. “And, a timer. This level is going to burn in less than two minutes.”

“We best move, then,” Steffan nodded. “Double-time, everyone! _Let’s go!”_ He called back to the group.

The mass of rescued prisoners picked up the pace. Xan, at the lead, was the first to see the freight lift doors. He also saw that they were closing in preparation for the purge. It was a straight-shot, but still fifty meters away. Tapping into the wellspring of the Force, he surged ahead. He kicked on his jetpack for good measure. He crossed the distance in a heartbeat and skidded to halt in the center of the closing blast doors. Concentrating as much as he could, he reached out his hands to either side and pushed back. The doors creaked and strained, but Xan held them. Sweat now streamed down his back, and his eyes were locked on the timer. The rescue team and the prisoners rushed onto the lift as fast as they could. The last of them boarded with just seconds to spare, and Xan jumped back. He released his hold on the doors as the timer reached five seconds, and took a knee, the effort having winded him. The doors slid shut just as the air on that level turned to fire. The lift shuddered but began to lumber upward.

“They’ll be waiting for us,” Vincent was smiling. “I can sense them…a lot of them, and they are waiting in the loading dock. When those doors open, we’ll have to fight our way through.”

“Nik, Vince, and Jarod,,” Steffan said, walking past Xan to take center position behind the massive doors. “On me. The four of us take the initial assault and punch a hole. The rest of you, fire as you can and keep close behind us. We can’t stand and fight, _we’ve got to just punch through_.”

There were no affirmations or calls of “yes sir!” Everyone silently did as Steffan had instructed, radiating an air of calm determination, but tinged with a hint of fear. Xan moved toward the rear. They’d be weakest there as the slower prisoners struggled to keep up; he’d guard the back of the formation to ensure they got out. He saw Ainar move to the forward, taking a position next to Steffan with a confiscated saber in his hand.

“You sure you’re up for it?” Steffan asked with just a hint of sarcasm.

“This is where I belong,” Ainar returned. “I only regret not being here sooner.”

The lift slowed to a stop, and everyone braced themselves. The large doors slid open slowly, revealing the docking bay and the half-dozen squads of stormtroopers waiting for them. At the rear of each squad was a Sith warrior, and they all formed a barrier between the lift and the large bay doors that opened onto the outside and freedom. They were six ranks deep, and they all had their blasters trained.

There was no command to “halt!” There was no order barked. The arrayed troops paused for the barest of moments; Xan supposed they were taking in the sheer audacity of the situation. _**Then, they opened fire.**_


	29. Chapter 29

**Bastion – Secret Imperial Complex**

_There were just too many of them._

In the initial salvo, three of the rescued prisoners went down screaming. The drive forward that Steffan had planned didn’t get farther than ten paces before the wall of angry red light from the stormtroopers’ concentrated fire halted the group’s progress. Steffan, Ainar, Nik, Vince, and Jarod set their feet and dug in, their blades moving quicker than the human eye could track, batting aside the bolts they could. But still, many more got through.

A stray bolt sizzled past his defenses, and grazed Steffan’s shoulder and the first seed of doubt clawed desperately at his mind. Nik and Vince were…frustrated. Hal was kneeling behind Vanin, trying to shield himself a bit as he took shots at the troopers with his blaster. Ainar was a sea of calm, but his thread-bare clothing was singed, and there were scores of near-misses along his forearms. They’d fought through more, Steffan knew, but these were trained stormtroopers with Sith Warriors commanding each squad. And, they had the fleeing Jedi and prisoners effectively pinned. It was only a matter of time…

“ _Grrrrrrraaaaaaaagh!_ No!”

The shout echoed off the walls of the loading bay, above the sounds of blaster fire and lightsabers, and it was followed by an even louder and more distinctive sound. The roar of a jetpack igniting drowned out all else for the barest of seconds. The wall of laser fire coming toward Steffan and the others dwindled as the enemy tracked their blasters upward.

_Steffan! Go now!_

The mental message wasn’t in words; it took years of practice and a shared connection of love to be able to speak telepathically, but Xan’s intent was clear. In a moment of time too small to even register, Steffan assessed the situation and knew Xan’s sacrifice was necessary if any of them hoped to escape. He didn’t want to leave a friend behind, he couldn’t stand the thought of losing yet another to the endless cycle of war, he wanted to stay and fight and keep the Mando alive…but, leaders are not afforded the luxury of emotion or connection. Leaders must make the decisions nobody else wants to or can. Leaders have to kill their own.

Steffan saw the fragmentation grenade shoot into the middle squad of stormtroopers, followed closely by Xan. The grenade blew, sending bits of white armor and body parts flying in all directions. Then Xan hit the deck and went to work. Flame erupted from his wrist-mounted thrower, his lightsaber blade slashed through the ranks. The Mando rolled over the back of one opponent and hit a release switch on his chest-plate. His jetpack ignited and flew off of his back and into the flank of another stormtrooper squad. Still fighting, Xan loosed three shots from a newly acquired blaster into the careening jetpack. The tanks ignited and the ensuing explosion left a big enough hole in the enemy formation that the fleeing prisoners now had their chance.

Not hesitating for a moment, Steffan ordered the charge. The Jedi and rescued prisoners surged forward, down the path of destruction Xan had wrought. The enemy was quick to press back in, and those with weapons had cause to use them. But, the bulk of the enemy’s attention was on Xan. The Mando was systematically finding everything in the room that could explode and hurling it into the enemy.

With a silent prayer to the Lady to watch over and keep Xan Quenadius, to guide him home if need be, Steffan led the group out the massive bay doors, and onto the stolen mechanics’ transport. They managed to squeeze everyone in, and Nik took the driver’s seat. They left, zooming down the dirt trail from the hidden complex as fast as the old transport could fly.

* * *

“Your efforts are pointless,” The Sith Lord grinned wickedly as Xan was dragged by his armpits to kneel before the Sith in the center of the now-ruined loading bay. “Your friends’ inevitable deaths are merely delayed. But, for this annoyance, yours will be immediate and lengthy.”

Xan’s armor was mostly gone, his helmet lay smoking a few feet away, and the plating was blackened and charred. He had several cracked ribs, more blaster burns than he could count, and a sizable gash in his right shoulder. It hurt to breathe.

Countless dead troopers and Sith lay about the loading bay, though, and Steffan and the prisoners had made it out. His mission was a success. Before Steffan had gotten out of range, Xan had sent an encrypted burst to his commlink. That transmission contained all the information he’d managed to download from the base’s central computer. He only hoped they’d be able to find some use for it; decrypt the file, and figure out what the Sith were doing with the Imps.

_He smiled._

The Sith Lord didn’t like that. He ignited his blade and plunged it into Xan’s thigh. The energy weapon cooked flesh instantly, and sent waves of indescribable pain shooting to the Mando’s brain. He didn’t cry out. He let the pain flow, using it to focus. He’d never tried the technique, but he’d heard that it wasn’t much different from channeling a friendly Force-user’s energy. Besides, he wasn’t long for the world, anyway. He found the blade in the Force, and tried to draw on its power. He felt a surge, then, and heard the blade flicker. His resolve renewed, he drew deeper, opening himself up to the Force completely. Surrendering himself to its chaos he drained the lightsaber of its power and used it to fuel his own. Bits of broken ferrocrete and the severed limbs of the dead troopers lifted into the air, the Sith Lord took a cautious step back, looking at his saber hilt like the weapon itself had somehow betrayed him.

Pulling up to the loading bay was a gift from the Force itself, and Xan smiled wickedly. He seized the fuel-tanker in the Force and lifted it into the air and toward his position and the enemies surrounding him there. True, he wasn’t long for the world… but, neither were they. As the assembled troops and Sith tried in vain to reach Xan in the middle of his maelstrom, he sent his last words out into the river of the Force.

_Callista, I’m sorry. I love you._

His message sent, he crushed the fuel-tanker with the Force. Durasteel rent apart under his fury, and fuel sprayed out in torrents. With what little energy he had left, Xan triggered every blaster in the bay. The resulting explosion vaporized everything in the loading dock and shook the facility to its very core.

* * *

By luck or the Force, Steffan had managed to lead everyone back to their starship. Without much trouble from starport authority, they were in the atmosphere and heading for open space. Once everyone was aboard, Steffan rushed to the cockpit. As the ship rocketed through the atmosphere, he pulled up the rear scanners. He told himself he was checking for any unwanted followers, but, allowed a moment of reflection; he knew what he was looking for. He just didn’t expect what he saw.

On the horizon, in the direction of the hidden military base, a white light appeared. In a heartbeat that light grew to a supernova, in a heartbeat more it changed to a roiling ball of smoke and fire. And, Steffan felt a light in his galaxy go out.

 _Goodbye, Xan Qenadius_ , He sent to the Force. _You were a warrior. You were an ally. You were a friend. You will be missed._

“What was that Master?” Jarod had come into the cockpit then.

Steffan didn’t answer. He watched the land fall away, then the planet, then the stars. In moments the rumble of sublight travel was replaced by the steady hum of hyperspace, and all was quiet.

Nik and Vince had been piloting. They both swiveled their chairs around and appeared with five shot glasses and a bottle of Corellian Whiskey. Silently, Nik poured five shots as Vince rummaged through his overcoat for a pack of t'bac. No words were spoken. Steffan imagined the two mercenaries didn’t share this little ritual with anyone. Nik then stood from the pilot’s chair. He handed a shot glass to Jarod, Steffan, and Vince. He kept one for himself and placed the other on the deck in the middle of the small group. Vincent handed out a smoke to each of them as well; placing one next to the shot glass in the middle. They stood there for a moment then, silent, staring at the lone glass and cigarette. The imagery was obvious, and Steffan found a sense of peace in this simple act.

Nick raised his glass. Steffan, Jarod, and Vince raised theirs.

“Xan Qenadius,” Nik said, then he killed the shot.

“Xan Qenadius,” They all echoed, each drinking theirs in turn. Vince then lit their cigarettes, and Nik began refilling the shot glasses.

“ _It’s times like these,_ ” He said. “ _It pays to be a scoundrel._ ”


	30. Chapter 30

**Cataan - The Karrde Residence**

“How is she?” Jade asked as Ethan walked back up to the porch. He had taken the time to change out of his _beskar’gam_ and was dressed in casual fatigues now. He was about to take a seat on the steps, but Jade stopped him and invited him inside to the kitchen. Andrea was already there pouring cups of caf and asked him for his preference.

“Caf will be fine,” he said as he sat at the counter. “She’s sleeping right now. Probably as much due to exhaustion from our scuffle as well as the sedative I gave her. I’d say she’ll probably stay like this for a little while longer…”

“I wouldn’t put much stock in that,” Andrea said as she set a cup in front of him.

“I wouldn’t either,” Jade enforced. “If her connection to Xan is anything on par to the connection between myself and Steffan; a sedative won’t keep her asleep if something serious happens.”

Ethan nodded and noted that in his mind as Andrea poured some fresh caf into the mug. “Milady….apologies. Highness, I could have gotten it myself. The royalty shouldn’t be serving a grunt, especially one like me.”

“Nonsense,” Andrea told him. “I was a Jedi long before I became royalty and I won’t lose any of the humility my parents taught me just because of a title.”

Jade smiled as this and sipped her cup.

“Then I’ll beg your pardon, ladies,” he said quietly as he sipped his drink. It was dark and strong and it was good, just how he liked it. “This is taking this one some time to get used to.”

* * *

Though Callista was sleeping with the help of the sedative.... it wasn't restful by any means. She tossed and turned in her sleep, the sheets becoming tangled around her. She could feel the throbbing pain that Xan was trying to keep at bay... as if it were her own. It tore at her, and she fought the pull of the sedative, trying to wake up. Still, she couldn't shake that cold feeling in her gut. She growled under her breath, trying to touch the Force, to get a clearer sense of him. But the sedative dulled that somewhat.

Andrea started to feel it and, out of instinct, glanced outside the kitchen windows towards the landing pad.

"What is it?" Ethan started to ask as he noticed the direction she was looking in and looked that way as well.

"She's stirring," she told him. "I can sense something happening, but I'm not sure what yet."

It was strange... as if she was seeing events through a cloud. She could see images... and vaguely sense things. Xan's pain was very clear, a glowing ember that seemed to pulse for a moment as she got a faint sense of determination. She wasn't sure exactly what was happening, but it felt to her much like his focus during battle. That feeling persisted for several minutes, punctuated by brief spikes of pain. She didn't know it, but she was sweating now from the effort of trying to push back the sedative and focus on him. After a few minutes she had to stop, and she lay there on the bunk gasping.

"She's fighting it," Andrea told him as she set down her cup. "I think we better start heading towards the ship."

She lay there for a long moment, feeling the chill across her skin, causing it to prickle as she rolled onto her side as if trying to protect herself. She drew a deep breath and started again, beads of sweat trickling down her forehead as she tried to reach out again. She wasn't even sure if he could sense her... but she could him. It was almost as if something was amplifying it. Every hit he took, it felt as if it were hitting her as well...

Her breath hitched in her throat as she felt his presence waver. She tried to sit up, forcing the sedative back even more...... well she tried to anyway. She got as far as propping herself on her elbows, her hands curled into fists as she tried to hold the focus. _Shassa_ , it felt as if her energy was just leaking away. She rested there for a moment, faintly hearing her own breathing in the empty cabin as she tried to focus tighter. Just as she began to hear footsteps in the corridor; she was overcome by a blinding pain slamming into her chest. As if she were being burned alive. _'Xan....!'_ she reached out to his presence in her mind, but as she did so it began to fade to a black void... Much like she'd heard Marin say she felt when Jarius died.

That same moment, Andrea paused from where she was on the porch. They had set their cups down and started to leave and she was already outside when the sensation hit her.

"What?" Ethan asked as he moved to help support her. "What happened?"

"Something's wrong," she said quietly as she started to look towards the ship. "Ethan, run to her, _now_!"

He didn't have to be told twice. He leapt to the ground, not worrying about the steps at all, and broke out in a run towards the ship. Andrea wasn't far behind him now.

Callista thrashed in the sheets, her hands reflexively going to her chest where she'd felt the burning. She almost couldn't make sense of the fact that it wasn't _her_ pain - it had been that strong. She rolled again, cursing as the move sent her to the deck face first. She still didn't have full control of her reflexes. She pushed shakily to her knees; her hands going to her chest again as she struggled to reach out to Xan.

Ethan continued his run up the boarding ramp and made his way to the door to her cabin, quickly punching in the code to open the door. When it opened, he saw her struggling and was immediately by her side helping her up.

She stiffened as she felt a pair of hands firmly grip her arms and lift her to her feet. Every fiber in her being screamed to her that she had to find Xan. She pushed at Ethan in the Force, trying to bring her knee up into his now unprotected groin.

The move was sudden and he had no time to anticipate or guard against it. When it hit, Ethan was suddenly bent over and hit the deck knees first. Andrea had come around the cabin door when she saw him go down. Instantly, she knew Callista's intentions and started to block the doorway.

Callista stumbled, the sedative still trying to work as she angled to the doorway, blinking to clear the haze. " _Out of my way...."_ she growled, her fingers flexing unconsciously as if she held a weapon.

"Not a chance, my sister," Andrea answered said back solidly. She knew Callista was going to have to be contained. It wasn't going to be easy, especially if her guard saw that she would willingly fight. Andrea steeled herself to the fact that she would draw critique and some words, but this was more important...to hell with the court.

Callista swallowed, wavering on her feet a bit as she tried to move closer to the door. She glared at Andrea. "I felt... burning.... as if it were mine...." She pointed to her chest... but her tunic was spotless...

"I know what you're feeling," she answered, trying to keep her voice solid and soothing at the same time. "Callista, you can't go to him. Father is there, let him do what he and the others can if they're able."

Her fingers curled into fists. " _I...I can't.... it... it hurts too much....._ " She took another step towards Andrea, slowly and steadily. Four steps later she'd reached the door. She screwed her eyes shut, and _pushed_ at Andrea in the Force. Not very hard, but to show she wasn't kidding. Her face was pale and clammy from the effort of it.

Andrea felt the push coming and she shielded herself in such a way as it just felt like a breeze lightly passing by her.

"You need to rest, Callista," she told her. "Please, sister. You can't go anywhere in your state."

It was then that she felt the lightest of touches from Xan. His presence was almost obscured by the pain that boiled over their connection His message was short:

_Callista, I'm sorry. I love you._

Callista was literally shaking now, only sheer force of will keeping her on her feet. She stumbled again as another wave of blinding pain hit her... and then she felt nothing from her connection... _nothing at all_. Her steps faltered and she fell hard, clipping her shoulder on the hatchway as she went down, her knees slamming into the deck from the force of her fall. She tried to hold in a scream.... she really did. But it wasn't successful. The pain and utter loss... the emptiness she felt suddenly flooded the bond she shared with Andrea, and the force of it left Callista huddled on the deck, dark bruising starting to spread across her shoulder and her knees.

Andrea felt it as well and went down to wrap her arms around her adopted sister. She couldn't even imagine how this would pan out. Edward's kidnapping had not rent her apart as it was doing to Callista right now. She looked over and Ethan was starting to get up, but she shook her head before he could say anything and he understood immediately.

Callista barely noticed Andrea's arms around her shoulders. She just sat there, shaking and staring into nothingness... for that was what she felt..... _nothing_. Unconsciously, she began to fiddle with the medallion Steffan had given her. On that same chain; close to her heart - was her wedding band. For a long moment, She simply remained there, Andrea's arms around her shoulders preventing her from smashing her head into the decking as she lost the strength to sit up on her own. Her hands were shaking badly as she tried to weakly push Andrea away. She was barely even thinking.

"Just lay here," Andrea told her. "Ethan is going for something you can drink."

She shook her head mutely, still trying to touch Xan's presence,....until she began to process what the feeling had been. And when she did, she went white, her gaze turning to the small viewport in the bulkhead as she stared off in the direction Xan was... or had been.

Andrea just stayed there, holding her and trying to be some kind of comfort.

Callista wrapped her fingers around Andrea's; holding onto them so hard she was afraid they would break. " _He's.... he's.... gone...."_ she finally whispered into the silence, still staring out the viewport.

"I know," Andrea told her quietly. "I felt it too."

She bit her lip then, trying to hold the anguish in. It felt like she was dying too. _The pain had felt so real..._. She sighed and stared down into her lap a moment, her hands still shaking from the shock and adrenaline. "It.... felt like I was dying too..."

"I have been told it does... it's going to take some time to pass, Callista."

Callista nodded, still avoiding Andrea's gaze for the moment as she tried to make sense of everything she'd felt. The sedative still pulled at her a little, even now.

"It'll take a little bit longer before it wears off. I'll help you through it, but not if you're going to try to fly away again."

Callista looked away guiltily. _She wanted to go after him.... but for what...? To avenge him...?_ She wasn't entirely sure.

Ethan came up the boarding ramp with a canteen in hand. Seeing Callista coming around slowly, he opened it and offered it to her.

She looked sideways at him and barely nodded as she took it from him, her fingers cool and a bit clammy against his. She drew her knees up, carefully sipping at the canteen even as her hands started shaking again badly.

He knelt down on the deck and looked at her.

Slowly, she lowered the canteen from her lips, clenching her fingers tightly around it as she stared at the deck what seemed a small eternity. She didn't know what to say.

"Let's get her some fresh air," Ethan said quietly to Andrea as he got up and extended his hand to Callista.

She hesitated for a long moment before she almost reluctantly took his hand, her other still clutching the open canteen. She was trying so hard to tamp down on her desire to go after Xan... but she couldn't completely.

"Come on, you know what happens," he said to her quietly, smoothly. The knee attack she pulled earlier forgiven...he knew it wasn't done completely on purpose.

Callista swallowed, looking away again, her hand clutching his as if it were a lifeline. It felt... like half of her soul was missing... and she didn't know what to do.

Jade was waiting on the landing pad as they started down out of the ship. She knew the turmoil and said nothing as Andrea and Ethan helped her down.

Several seconds of silence passed between the four of them before Callista finally looked up, her gaze going to Jade. Her lips were trembling. <" _Mother..._ "> she whispered in Cataani, not even using _Mando'a_ , which was strange.

<" _I'm here, >_" Jade answered in her native language and wrapped Callista in a hug.

Callista clung to Jade for a long moment, finally letting the tears come as they soaked into the shoulder of Jade's gown. She couldn't begin to put words to what she felt... but then she didn't really have to. She still couldn't fight back all of her desire to go after Xan... no matter how hard she tried.

"Your father is returning," Jade said quietly, not only to Callista but to Andrea as well, "He ordered his group to fall back from Bastion."

"Bastion?" Ethan asked suddenly. "They were all the way over on Bastion?"

Callista swallowed, stiffening a bit in Jade's embrace at that announcement. _If that was true..._ She clamped down on that thought, her gaze going to Ethan for a moment.

"Let him tell us what happened," Ethan told them. "No sense making assumptions."

She chewed her bottom lip for a moment and nodded without a word as she still rested in Jade's embrace.

* * *

**Edmonton, Cataan - Office of Jedi Intelligence**

Things in the intelligence office had been quiet lately, almost eerily so. So many people had just...disappeared. And she still had no answers as to how or why. All she knew was that any of the Knights that she sent out to investigate the wounds in the Force.... vanished. Sharon frowned, slowly turning away from the large picture window that looked out over the city.

It had been almost two weeks now since the last Council meeting at the Karrde estate. What few Knights and Masters remained in the service of the Intelligence office were out on missions of their own - including a few that normally didn't engage in this kind of work. She'd been quite surprised when Master Karrde himself, as well as a young Knight with him, had set off on a mission to Imperial space. It was the same area of space Xan had been headed to investigate. And she hadn't heard from Xan in a week. That worried her - more than she was willing to admit.

As she slowly made her way back to the desk - _Xan's desk_ \- she grabbed a can of _netra'gal_ from the conservator. She shuddered a bit when she thought about how much of the stuff she'd been drinking lately. She was perhaps half a dozen steps from the desk when a sensation slammed into her like a full-speed hovertruck. The force of it drove her to her knees, and the unopened can of _netra'gal_ slipped from her fingers, rolling across the carpet. Pain and the sensation of focus flashed across the connection she had with Xan... and then it was just... _gone_.

She reached out in the Force, trying to locate him.... but there was nothing there... _nothing at all_. Her blood chilled. _If he was dead... whatever he'd found was very, very dangerous_. She swallowed hard, not noticing the tears blurring her vision. There was utter silence in the office as she pushed to her feet again, and retrieved her _netra'gal_. She'd need it for sure now.

She finally managed to lower herself into the chair at her desk, and she simply sat there for a long moment, staring at the smooth polished wood surface. It was a good minute or two before she moved again, shaking herself a bit. She still had work to do. Whatever Xan had gotten into, she knew the odds of him collecting data were high. _I only hope he'd been able to get it to someone before he..._ She almost choked on that thought, blinking away sudden tears as she looked at the screen on her terminal. If he had, and she got her hands on it - she might be able to help the Masters make sense of it. Some of them seemed to forget she was around.

She carefully set the can on the desk, reaching for the small comm unit built into the desk. She knew better than to try contacting Master Callista right now. One brief touch told her all she needed to know. And she knew what to do. She stabbed the comm control, waiting the few seconds it took to connect after she entered the secure channel. "Ally, it's Sharon. I'm sure you've probably felt what just happened. I need you to get down to the Karrde estate as soon as you can. Try to bring some other Healers with you... even if it's Padawans. And... _please_ , for _Manda's_ sake, check on Master Callista. I don't care what you have to do."

Althea's voice filtered back over the comm channel, sounding slightly tinny. _"I was just about to head that way, actually. Lady Karrde commed a few minutes ago, saying that Master Karrde and the others were returning."_ Her voice went quiet. _"I'll check on her. She's in a bad way right now. Lady Karrde said that Ethan had been keeping an eye on her..."_

Sharon nodded. "I thought as much. And I agree with it, given what I picked up from her..."

Althea sighed, _"I'll do what I can... but I think you should get over here soon. They might have some information you could use...at least I hope so."_

"Me too, Ally, me too..." Sharon said quietly before she closed the channel.


	31. Chapter 31

**Light freighter _Tracinya_ \- Hyperspace**

Steffan walked around the main deck of _Tracinya_ , checking on everyone while Amber had the controls. Nik and Vince’s ship was slaved to theirs and was close behind, so there was no chance of it being left. Right now, he was checking on the survivors, making sure that everyone was alright.

“You need to get some rest yourself,” Ainar said as he stopped Steffan in the corridor. “You’ve checked everyone three times already since we entered hyperspace. I’ll make the rounds.”

“He’s right, sensei,” Jarod said as he walked up. Steffan looked to his former student and noticed that he had singe marks on his robes as well. The master’s inquisitive look told the young knight the question. “I’m fine, master. I’m more concerned about Marin’s shock of how I look than how I feel.”

“Very well,” Steffan said with a sigh and a nod before he looked to Jarod. “Is there any news from the others?”

“Ryneas has been able to complete his objectives and he’s returning now. Masters Myk and Arie are traveling with him in a different transport.”

“Not the _Firebird_?” Ainar asked.

“There’s been a lot of…complications…on Coruscant lately,” Steffan told him. “We have new enemies apparently.”

He turned back to Jarod. “Send a message to Dilan to prepare the extra rooms at the praxeum for these arrivals. See that there are some healers ready.”

"Yes, sensei. Is there anything else?”

“A few others need to be there, but I’ll send those messages myself.”

* * *

It was the sound of the engines that woke Jade up from her sleep. She rose and walked to the windows of their room to see _Tracinya_ landing on the pad across from the lake. There was already a group of people there and she knew they were there to help those that Steffan and the others had found. Ainar was among them, and she knew that Steffan felt relief that his friend was alright. It would be a few minutes as she threw on her robe and looked to the window again to see the ship lowering into the hangar. The group of survivors and Steffan’s students along with healers and medical personnel were heading for the praxeum...

_…but she didn’t see Steffan._

Jade stretched her senses out and nodded softly as she walked into the hallway. It was still early in the day. Catherine was asleep in her room still. Andrea was at the palace. Dilan would be with the group heading for the praxeum and Ryneas on his way back from Coruscant. Ereena Cadre was staying in Ryneas’ room at the moment and Ethan was keeping a close watch on Callista onboard the _Werda_.

She had a sense of where he’d be and so she walked quietly down the hall and went down the stairs into the living room. No one was approaching the house, so she walked to the fireplace and placed her hand on one of the stones of the mantle. Once the panel near the fireplace had opened, she started down the staircase. The lights were on as she entered the cavern that held the family’s master’s wheel. Jade looked around and could see a form, kneeling on the stone floor in front of a small alcove along the side of the cavern. It was a personal shrine and she knew Steffan was there kneeling.

It was Steffan’s heavy sigh that told her he had finished his prayer and she walked up slowly. “Steffan?”

He nodded softly. The grief was radiating off of him and he was slow to get up and turn around. She could see the marks and singes on his clothing…knowing that it was intense on Bastion, seeing the marks made it look different. Jade had seen how his clothes and armor looked after Msst…this looked worse.

“There was nothing I could do,” he said quietly as he walked up to her. “The place was covered over with stormtroopers…”

“Stormtroopers?” Jade asked. “ _Imperial_ stormtroopers?”

He nodded. “Lots of troopers…and Sith warriors to back them up. We were losing the people we pulled out of that prison. He thought it was the only way to save us...and he was right.”

This brought a heavier sigh out of him as he paced around. Jade knew him well enough to let him take his time.

“Did you get the message to Edward?”

"He’ll be here shortly. Nar Challa is coming with him. Steffan, you need to rest before they get here.”

“No…first things first,” Steffan said as he finally enveloped his wife in his arms. “I have a daughter I need to comfort first.”

* * *

**Aboard the** _**Werda** _

Callista woke slowly. It took a few moments for her brain to process where she was. As she blinked to clear the sleep haze, she realized she was back in the same cabin as before. As she shifted around a bit, trying to sit up, pain blossomed across her shoulder, and she fell back to the mattress, gasping. Her knees were throbbing as well. She took a slow breath, trying to focus on the pain, but it was hard. The chair Ethan had occupied still rested inside the hatch - and he sat in it once more, slumped slightly as his deep steady breathing came to her from across the room.

For a long moment, she lay still, trying to sort things out in her head. Xan.....gone.... A cold chill wrapped itself around her as that thought settled again. And she'd almost gone off on some...crusade. She shuddered a bit, and not from the chill. She remembered all too well what had happened on Korriban all those years ago. Slowly, she realized that her hand was clutched tightly around something. She winced a bit as she tried to pull her hand away. It stung. And when she finally loosened her grip around the object, she saw why. It was her medallion.... and her wedding band. She'd clutched them so tightly that they had actually cut into the tender skin on her palm.

She stared at her palm for a long moment before she turned onto her back again and stared up at the ceiling. _It..._ _ **hurt**_ _.... so much_. And not just on a physical level. The bond she'd shared with Xan.... it had been strong. To have it so suddenly and brutally severed had almost driven her mad. It truly did feel as if half her soul was missing. She gritted her teeth, turning onto her uninjured shoulder to stare at the bulkhead. She could feel the chill radiating off it.

That was how Ethan found her when he stirred a few minutes later. He stood and stretched, casting a glance in her direction for a moment before he slipped out of the cabin. When he returned a few minutes later, the scent of _behot_ entered before his footsteps. She could hear him as he crossed the deck and knelt next to the bunk, but she didn't turn over. Just that simple scent brought forth so many memories. Ones that sent tears tracing down her cheeks as she sobbed silently.

A hand settled gently on her shoulder. Ethan was trying not to startle her. " _Cal'ika_ , if you want to sit up, I have some _behot_ for you..." His words were quiet, but still firm and assured as he always was. Slowly, she turned over to her back, wincing a bit as she tried to push up to her elbows. The movement sent pain lancing into her shoulder. She felt Ethan supporting her before he slowly helped her sit up. When she was situated, he finally passed her the mug. "It should help your headache; among other things..." he told her with a nod as he stayed kneeling by the bunk.

She looked at him without a word before she slowly lifted the mug to her lips. It was warm going down, and it did help to ease some of the ache and stiffness, at least from a physical standpoint. Ethan remained by her side as she slowly drained the mug. When she finally lowered it, he looked to her again. "It will hurt for a while. Always remember - he died a warrior's death. We both know he would have wanted nothing less. But he remains with you, _Cal'ika_.. Wherever you go. He is _here_..." Ethan gently laid his hand over her heart.

She closed her eyes for a moment at his touch, trying to hold back a sudden swell of grief. She felt utterly lost, and didn't know what to do. Several long moments of silence passed between them before she finally spoke, her voice barely more than a whisper. "What will we do for a memorial? from the pain I felt, and the hazy images..." She swallowed, "I don't think there would be anything to bury..." She choked up a bit, her fingers tightening around the warm ceramic of the mug in her fingers.

Ethan sighed, his gaze going towards the bulkhead as he heard the distinctive sound of repulsorlifts. "It is not generally Mandalorian custom to bury the dead. Perhaps a memorial marker would be better. I'm sure Master Karrde could arrange for something here at the house if you like." He paused for a moment. "If you have a spare helmet of Xan's or something else of that nature - that would be suitable for the memorial." He grunted a bit, pushing to his feet before he took the empty mug and laid his other hand on her shoulder. "Rest, _Cal'ika_. You'll need your strength." She frowned a bit, as his words seemed to hint at something else. When he didn't elaborate, she mentally shrugged. He paused in the hatchway, looking back to her. "Master Karrde may be along to see you soon. Rest now." With that, he ducked out of the cabin, gently closing the hatch behind him.

* * *

**Coruscant – Cadre Design headquarters**

The complex was mostly dark. Security guards roamed the myriad hallways, and monitored the many security cams spread throughout. For the most part though, Cadre Designs and Manufacturing Headquarters was a picture of quiet serenity. It was, after all, just past midnight on this side of Coruscant, and all the regular employees had long since gone home.

As such, Nib Cadre felt completely justified retrieving her personal blaster pistol from her desk drawer when she noticed the alarm had been tripped at the lift access point for her level. Her office was situated at the end of a long hallway, well away from the lift exit, and her office door was closed and locked. She had an escape hatch hidden below her desk, should she need to beat a hasty retreat. In her line of work, it paid to be prepared. But, her natural curiosity demanded that she at least have a peak out her office door window to find out what had caused the alarm in the first place.

Probably just a rookie guard forgetting about the secondary security codes on this level, Nib told herself. She tapped a few keys on her desk, double-locking her office door anyway. Slowly, she crossed to the door, and the triple-thick transparisteel window set within.

Pressing up against the door, she tried to peer down the hallway. It was, unfortunately, a moot point. I was too dark to see much of anything save the faint, red light above the lift doors at the far end of the hall. But, that alone gave her pause. A security guard would have a glowlamp, he wouldn’t stumble about in the dark. And, the alarm wouldn’t have simply activated on its own. She’d designed the security for the building. Someone or something was out there, and he or it was keeping out of sight.

Nib craned her neck and tried to see farther down the hall. The first seeds of doubt began to root themselves in her mind when, suddenly, there was a face on the other side of her door. It loomed out of the darkness, its eyes red and glowing. Nib jumped back from the door, losing her balance, and falling backward. Her backside hit the floor, and she frantically scooted back until she was pressed against her desk. Shakily, she raised her pistol and pointed it at the window and the face beyond.

She couldn’t hear it, but she could see the man in the hallway was laughing. Then the lights in her office went out, and Nib found herself frozen in fear.

She watched in terrifying slow motion as the man plunged a blood-red lightsaber into and through her office door. Slowly, he began to drag it downward, sparks flying and molten slag dripping onto the hardwood floor. Nib cursed herself for not thinking to lace the doors and walls with cortosis ore. She finally managed to get her feet under herself and stand, her pistol still trained on the window and the assailant beyond.

She began to feel her way around and behind her desk, her eyes never leaving the door and the slow work of her antagonist as he meticulously continued cutting into the thick durasteel. The blade of the lightsaber was nearly at ground level by the time she was fully behind her desk. With one hand, she fumbled for the emergency switch under the center section. She found it soon enough, and pressed it again and again and again, but, with the power cut to her office, the secret hatch beneath her desk remained steadfastly shut. Tears came to her eyes then as her thoughts turned to Brink and Ereena.

She should have gone home with them. Instead, she’d opted to stay on Coruscant an extra week to oversee the data transfer from HQ to her personal servers on Livda. She needn’t have stayed. The whole process was mostly automated. And, she noted mournfully, superfluous. Here she was, overseeing the process, and what could she do? At best, she could die fighting the man attempting to break into her office. At worst, she’d be captured, and this enemy would have better than the data. They’d have the originator of the design. It seemed her need to micro-manage, as Brink would say, was really going to be the end of her.

Nib hunkered down behind her desk, her arms resting on top, propping her blaster and helping to keep it steadily trained on the door. He was nearly through. She took a deep breath, blinked away the tears, and took one last look at the holo of her family on her desk. She sent a silent “I love you” to the stars, and turned her gaze upon the door once more.

The door fell inward with a loud clang, and smoke obscured her view. Her breath caught in her throat, and, against all reasoning, she squeezed her eyes shut and covered her head, forgetting the blaster she held in her hands in a blind fear. She only prayed for a quick end.

There she huddled, waiting for death. But, it never came. Nib Cadre finally realized that she was neither dead nor injured, and her logic kicked back in. Was he just standing there? Was he taunting her? She felt the pistol still in her hand, and her fear turned to anger at the thought that he was toying with her. She snapped her head upright, and sighted down the barrel of her pistol.

The blaster clattered on her desk as she dropped it in shock.

Ryneas Karrde stood in her doorway, straddling the still-smoking ruin of her door and her would-be attacker. His green blade hummed in his hand as he surveyed his opponent, checking his vitals. He heard her drop the blaster, and looked up, flashing a smile. “Mrs. Cadre,” He said with a wry grin. _**“I’m Luke Skywalker. I’m here to rescue you!”**_

The adrenaline and fear and anger drained from her in a heartbeat, replaced by a ludicrously enormous feeling of pure happiness. She came from around her desk at a run and hugged the Karrde boy to her, sobbing with joy. He seemed startled at first, but returned the hug warmly.

“We…uh,” He said, gently escaping her grip. “We should probably get going. I don’t know if there are more of them.”

Nib nodded, and followed Ryneas into the hallway.

“Stay close to me,” He instructed, checking his bearings. “We have a transport in the private hangar two floors up. It’s prepped and waiting. I’m to take you to Cataan. Mr. Cadre and Ereena are there already.”

Nib only nodded again, and did as she was told. “You know,” she said as they entered the lift. “Despite what the holodramas would have you believe, I really doubt those were Master Skywalker’s first words to Princess Organa-Solo.”

Ryneas laughed. “I know,” He said as he stepped off the lift. He took three steps, searching down the connecting hallways, before motioning for her to follow. “But, it’s hilarious, and I’ve always wanted an excuse to use that line in real life.”

“Well, I’m glad I needed rescuing then,” Nib quirked. “Anything to help a young man achieve his dreams.”

“ _Touché_ , Mrs. Cadre,” He nodded as they reached the hangar personnel door. He did one final sweep of their surroundings. Nib imagined he was also checking with the Force. Nodding to himself, he shut down his blade and ushered her through.

Once in the hangar, they raced for the transport. She recognized it as a Temple shuttle. Once on board, she was pleased to see two members of Phoenix Squadron at the controls. She smiled at them as she strapped into the passenger seat. She looked Ryneas, and arched an eyebrow as the shuttle rose from the hangar and headed out to open sky.

“It’s a long story,” Ryneas told her. “I’ll tell you all about it on the way. Right now, I just want to make sure we clear atmosphere and get into hyperspace.”

“So, Cataan, huh?” Nib asked. “Your father has plans for all of us, I assume?”

Ryneas turned somber then and seemed to age years before her eyes. “I hope so, Mrs. Cadre. I truly hope so.”


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _jare'la_ \- stupidly oblivious to danger

** Cataan – Jedi Praxeum **

Althea had made quick time to the Karrde estate, even with other Healers in tow. For once, she was glad of all the time she’d spent here with Master Callista. The number of rescuees surprised her, but the more Jedi there were to aid their cause, the better.

It was sobering to even contemplate the evils that had been occurring in that hidden base. She’d heard snatches from the Masters as she passed, and it worried her. She remained quiet and lost in thought as she and the others gathered the survivors and began the long trek to the praxeum.

Once back at the praxeum, she began to evaluate the survivors one by one. The depth of their wounds astounded her, and not just the physical ones, either. They felt…. diminished a bit in the Force, as if someone or some… _thing_ had been draining their essence. That fact alone concerned her a great deal. _Was that what Master Xan had found?_

She sighed and shook her head, trying to keep focused as she and the other healers tended to each survivor. Their physical wounds would heal in time… but there was no telling on the mental ones. She was no mind healer; she only knew basic techniques. The most she could do was ease their minds. Which she did.

Finally, Althea was able to pull herself away. She slipped into the scrub station and peeled off her gloves, dropping them in the waste disposal. She wearily scrubbed her face with her hands before changing back into her tunic and pants. Three minutes later, she was back over to the stables and saddling a tan mare. It had been two hours since Sharon’s comm, and worry was knotting itself in her stomach.

It didn’t take her long to travel to the Karrde’s estate. She could almost navigate the trail in her sleep. As she rounded the final bend in the trail, the Karrde estate spread out before her. The gardens sprawled across the landscape, tall trees bordering the clearing on three sides. The one side of the house that wasn’t surrounded by trees held a lake. On the other side of the lake, she could see the permacrete of the landing pad peeking through the grass at its edge. And resting on its landing gear was an old _Firespray_.

She frowned, having noticed the ship before, but not giving it much thought then. It was strange to see _Firespray_ class ships still in use. Very few used them. Carefully guiding her mount over to the stables, she trudged back on foot, studying the lines of the ship. It was indeed old. _Firespray_ class vessels hadn’t been made in close to a hundred years if she remembered properly. Unless someone had re-engineered them.

Something jogged in her memory as she studied the smooth, curving lines. Master Callista had mentioned someone that she knew and worked with occasionally, but she’d never given a name. Just as she thought that she was startled as a voice called out to her.

“ _Oi!_ You gonna stand there starin’ at the _Werda_ all day, or can I help you with somethin', _dalyc_?”

She frowned slightly at the unfamiliar word but looked up towards the voice. What she found surprised her. An older man clad in armor stood in the now-open hatch, his dark eyes looking her over as she stood there. She got the sense he was taking her measure and she felt his eyes pause on her saber. She shook herself a bit. “Oh, sorry. Should have introduced myself. I’m Althea…. Master Callista’s Padawan. Lady Karrde told me I could find her here…” she finished softly.

Recognition spread across his face, and he nodded softly. “Aye. Come inside then. I’m Ethan.” He replied after a moment. He gestured to the still-open hatch, letting her precede him. As they moved down the corridor, he spoke in low tones. "She’s resting now… but she’s taking it rather hard. Which I expected. She and Xan were very close.” He cursed softly. “I had to…sedate her earlier. She was frantic. Kept saying something about feeling his pain like it was her own.” Althea frowned, but his words made sense to her. She knew how deep their connection was… had been. A soft sigh escaped her lips as Ethan continued. “She… reacted quite strongly when she felt his death. I’ve had to keep her confined to the _Werda_ , as I didn’t want her trying to rush to him.”

Althea nodded. “That was wise of you.”

Ethan chuckled briefly, but there wasn’t much humor in it. “I’ve dealt with something similar before…” he told her after a moment. “When Marin’s _buir_ died, she took off…. Master Karrde and I almost didn’t reach her in time…”

She sobered slightly, gazing down the corridor as she felt Callista near. Ethan followed her gaze. “She’s resting. And a bit worse for wear. She took a nasty spill when she felt Xan’s passing. I… don’t know what else is going on, but she’s been really withdrawn since.”

Althea nodded quietly. “I’ll do what I can…” Ethan merely grunted and laid a hand on her shoulder for a moment before he disappeared down the corridor. When he’d gone, she palmed the hatch control and stepped into the room he’d indicated. A soft gasp left her as she saw Callista. Her Master lay on the bunk, her brown hair splayed out around her, even as she lay curled up with her back to the hatch.

Althea closed her eyes for a brief moment, feeling the sorrow rippling across the room. It had lessened from what she’d felt earlier, but it was still there, with an undercurrent of pain. She took a breath and crossed to the single bunk, kneeling at the edge of it as she reached over to pull a blanket up around Callista’s shoulders.

After a moment to center herself, she reached for the Force, even as she reached out to gauge Callista’s injuries. The bruised muscles of her left shoulder and knees were hot spots in the Force. A slight frown creased her forehead as she focused, using the force to dissipate the pooled blood and repair the damage to the muscles. It was slow and exacting work.

Twenty minutes later, she had finished repairing the bruised muscles. A faint sheen of sweat stood out on her forehead. She swiped at it with the sleeve of her tunic as she leaned on the edge of the bunk. With the physical wounds taken care of, she took a deep breath, focusing again before she began working again. This time, she turned her attention to Callista’s thoughts. She could feel the sorrow tingeing everything. She wasn’t very skilled in this area, but she did what she could, trying to draw some of the more happy memories to the fore, soothing her so she could get some restful sleep.

She only stirred when Ethan can in with a cup of _behot_ , insisting she rest. Reluctantly, she agreed, accepting the mug. The warmth spread from her hands as she climbed to her feet and slipped from the room.

"Hello the _Werda_ ," Ethan heard a few minutes later from outside the ship. "Permission to board?"

Ethan looked over to Althea and nodded before he walked towards the hatch. "Come on aboard, Master."

Althea followed Ethan a moment later, seeing Master Karrde just as he reached the top of the boarding ramp. Her first instinct was to look him over for injuries, and she frowned a bit as she noticed how many there were. She bowed slightly. "Hello, Master Karrde."

"Althea," he said in greeting with a nod of his head. "How is she?"

She bit her lip. "Physically, she's fine. I've tended to her minor injuries." She paused, twisting her fingers nervously in the hem of her sleeves. "It's her emotional state I'm concerned about. And it's not an area I'm very skilled in yet. She's...withdrawn."

Steffan looked to Ethan, who nodded his agreement. "She's resting right now."

"If possible, I think maybe I should talk to her in the gardens," Steffan said softly. "If she's able, that is."

Althea considered that for a moment. "I think so. She took a bad fall, but she should be alright now. Shall I go wake her up, Master?"

"I'll do it," Ethan said to her. "She's used to me here since it’s my ship."

She hesitated for a moment, but then nodded, looking to Master Karrde. "I can stay if you like." She thought briefly of the others up at the praxeum. They should be alright for a while.

Ethan looked to Steffan, who nodded. "I'll leave it up to Callista, but you can stay close.”

"Alright...." She took a deep breath to steady herself, watching as Ethan took off down the side corridor to the cabin Callista was in. When he'd slipped inside, she turned to Master Karrde. "I.... felt it when he died. Not as strong as she did, but I did feel it. It...almost drove her mad..."

"The loss of one so close can have that effect," Steffan told her as they waited. "It is a risk we take when we decide to share our lives. But there is just as much to gain, more actually, in my opinion."

She frowned slightly. "How so...?" Her gaze wandered briefly towards the sleeping cabin again before she looked back to Master Karrde.

"There is a strength that is gained," he said. "For me personally, my family has always been my greatest strength.... especially in battle, knowing I have something personal to fight for."

She pondered that for a moment and then nodded. "I imagine Master Xan felt the same way you do."

"He did," Steffan admitted to her. "I know who was in his final thoughts...just as has been in mine on those occasions when I thought I would lose."

Ethan came up the corridor slowly, Callista holding onto his arm.

 _< Daughter>_ Steffan said softly in Cataani.

Althea bit her lip. Though better physically, Callista felt... _almost frail_. It was a strange sensation to feel from her teacher, and she shared a look with Steffan.

Callista looked over as she heard Steffan's voice. If she hadn't been holding Ethan's arm she would have stumbled again. _< Father...>_ She breathed, reaching for Steffan's hand as Ethan stopped only a few paces shy of Steffan.

"Would you be able to sit in the garden?"

Callista nodded after a moment. "Yes..." she replied softly, clinging to his hand as she nodded her thanks to Ethan. Her fingers shook slightly even as she clutched his.

He treated her carefully as he led her down the path, going around the house through an outside gate into the patio area that was between the house and the forest. He took her down one of the paths with Ethan and Althea following a distance behind and led her to a waterfall that was in some of the rocks on the hillside. There was a stone bench there before the pool that was at the bottom of the fall and he helped her down.

She sat down a bit heavily, still clinging to his hand as if it were a lifeline. After a moment, she closed her eyes... trying to keep the sorrow at bay. Sitting here... it all came rushing back.

There were times that this had to happen when no words needed to be said yet...but emotions needed to be exposed and played out. To that effect, Steffan took his normal spot on a stone wall that held the pool where it was and allowed it to stream down a channel. He reached into his tunic and withdrew the flute that he had always used in meditation since he was a young boy, a present from his mother. Letting the Force and the emotions of the time pass through him, he put the instrument to his lips and started to play. Weaving the music as he did, the Force let him guide it in a fashion that would offer a solemn tribute to the core of who Xan had been.

Callista sucked in a breath, and it caught in her throat as she sobbed quietly. She'd felt his death as if it had been her own.... but she also knew he'd loved her very deeply. Her fingers clenched in her lap as she tried to hold it in.... but the music.....it pulled at her emotions, urging her to let it out.

Althea gasped softly, her hand lifting to her mouth in surprise as she felt the ripples of it.

 _< Let it go_,> Steffan told Callista quietly as he continued to play.

Ethan hung back, the music was touching him in a way as well and he closed his eyes and nodded. It was a fitting tribute.

Callista lowered her head slightly, her fingers clenching in her lap. She concentrated on breathing, and let herself get lost in the music. It was a strong, yet solemn melody. It brought forth memories of Xan that made her want to smile. He'd always been a warrior, a fighter.

He continued the song, letting it finish when the Force told him it was time. After a while, he lowered the flute but kept his eyes closed as he uttered a few soft words. He let them hang in the air before he opened his eyes and looked at Callista.

Slowly, she lifted her gaze to his. Tear streaks stained her face, and her vision was slightly blurred. She dabbed at her eyes a bit with the hem of her sleeve.

"I am sorry, Callista," he said to her softly. "Close as I had been, there was nothing I could do."

She nodded quietly. "I.... know..." she whispered, still dabbing at her eyes. "He's a warrior... He died in battle protecting his _vode_... be they _Mando'ade_ or _Jetiise_. It's what he would have wanted..."

"And he took many with him," he told her. "I saw that myself."

She grinned slightly. "As well he should have." She chuckled a bit. "He always did like to make...an entrance....or to go out with a bang..."

He nodded softly. "I have to ask because they have mentioned it. You were looking for vengeance?"

Callista swallowed and looked away slightly before nodding.

"You know this path, daughter....know it well."

She nodded and stared down at her hands for a long moment. "Aye..." she replied softly, before looking up at him. "It's _jare'la_ , I know. Especially considering how hard it was for your team to get in and then back out..."

He looked at her as they spoke. "And it is probably more so now. You would have fought very bravely, but I fear we would have lost you very quickly."

She nodded. He spoke the truth... and didn't soften it, which was how she wanted it. She looked down at her hands for a minute or so, fidgeting with the chain of her medallion. Her ring glinted a bit as it swung on the chain. "So... what happens now?"

"We have a lot to discuss and plan," He told her as he stood up. "Much of it will have to wait until the others return from Coruscant and we know what the situation is with the Republic."

She frowned a bit. "How... can I help?"

"I don't know yet," Steffan answered honestly. "You're in mourning and I would not have you break that before you are ready. This will take some time. I...I have a craftsman in a few days ready to begin to carve a memorial for Xan..."

That got her attention, and she looked up sharply at him. "I do have some of his spare armor pieces... there might be a _buy'ce_ among them...."

"That should do nicely."

* * *

“You asked to see us?” Admiral Nar Challa asked as he and Edward stood up in Steffan’s study. Steffan walked in with Sharon behind him and motioned for everyone to have a seat in the room as he pulled a datacard out of his tunic.

“Sharon, I need you to work with Cataani Intelligence on this one,” he said as he showed them the datacard. “Xan handed me this before we got split up on Bastion. I believe it has a copy of everything that the Sith and the Imperials have been working on, maybe even more insight into what their plans are.”

“Encrypted?” Sharon asked as she looked it over.

“I’m guessing that it’s highly encrypted,” Nar Challa said as he took his turn looking at it. “If it came from Bastion, it’s going to have their latest codes. Not an easy task, Master Jedi.”

“But a necessary one,” Steffan told him. “A good man lost his life getting this information, and Force knows how many Jedi died before then. We need to know what they’re up to…now.”

“It’ll get our top crypto teams,” the admiral promised. “I’ll get it right over there.”

“Edward, I have another request,” Steffan said as he looked down at his desk. “I’m going to need the use of one of our production facilities…one of the fighter ones.”

“What for, if I may ask?”

“I’ve got something in the hangar that needs to have repairs and a refit done,” his father-in-law answered as he looked up. “I have the feeling its three years overdue.”

Jade had been in the music room when she heard that last comment and sat at the piano in the room when Steffan walked in.

“You’re actually going to do it?”

“I have the feeling we’re going to need it.”

“And then what?”

Steffan leaned against the piano. “I have the feeling we’re going to have to go back to Coruscant and have a long talk with Maxell.”

“Just ‘a talk’?” Jade asked him, one eyebrow perked.

“Well….I’m past being subtle now.”

“Go,” she told him with a smile. “You’re going to have a lot of work to do once Ryneas gets here with Nib."

He nodded and went back into his study. Powering up his computer, he started to enter the security codes to pull up the files that were the most guarded secret he had.

It was time to bring _Blue Talon_ back to life.


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _Beskar’gam_ – Mandalorian armor; literally “Iron skin”  
>  _Buir_ \- father  
>  _Chakaare_ \- general term of abuse and disdain; thief, corpse robber, etc.  
>  _Dalyc_ – woman/girl  
>  _Jetii’kad_ \- lightsaber  
>  _Jetiise_ \- Jedi (plural)  
>  _Ni ceta_ \- I'm sorry

“Cataan control, this is the light freighter _Horn Valor_ ; requesting permission to enter your airspace on heading three-two-two, six-four-niner,” Myk said. The blue orb of Cataan hung serenely in the blanket of space before him. Arie was in the co-pilot’s chair to his right, and Evelina sat with her stuffed taun-taun at the navigator’s station behind Arie.

“Daddy,” Evelina arched an eyebrow, much like her mother would do. “We’re on the _Firebird_.”

“He knows, sweetheart,” Arie smiled back at her daughter. “It’s all part of the disguise.”

“I don’t like hiding,” the little princess kicked her feet as they dangled off the chair.

“I don’t like it much, either, Kiddo,” Myk said, eyeing the com. It was taking them an unusually long time to respond. The new transponder codes were good…he hoped. He didn’t like hoodwinking the Cataani Navy, but the fewer people that knew they were here, the better.

“But, you look so good in blonde,” Arie winked at him slyly.

She was saved a sarcastic retort from the rogue as the com system crackled to life.

“ _Freighter Horn Valor,”_ the STC officer finally responded. _“Clearance granted. Safe flying.”_

And, Myk-Ron let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “See?” He cast a rogue grin at his wife. “No problem.”

“I only hope Jade doesn’t mind us dropping in like this,” Arie shook her head. “Radio silence aside, showing up unannounced is never fun.”

The scene outside the forward viewport turned to an inferno of orange and yellow as the _Firebird_ slid into the atmosphere. The blast tinting darkened slightly to compensate for the light. In moments, however, the fire was replaced by wisps of white clouds in a clear blue sky. Green fields and forests cut by dark purple mountains spread out below them. Myk steered the freighter on a course for a dark blue spot at the base of those mountains.

“I’m sure it’ll be…” The Rogue’s voice trailed off, as his senses expanded and he felt the intense sadness hanging over the Karrde estate.

“What is-“ Arie began to say, but stopped as she stretched out her senses as well. “Oh, no.”

Evelina, behind them, cried and hugged her stuffed taun-taun tightly. Her tiny voice whispered, “ _Xan’ika_.”

Arie swiveled her seat around and took Evelina in her arms. A single tear slid down her cheek as her heart went out to Callista. The loss of Xan would be terrible on her. It was terrible for everyone, but she knew exactly what Callista was feeling right now. She’d felt it herself when she’d lost Myk-Ron all those years ago.

She felt his hand on hers, and he gave her a gentle squeeze, reminding her that he was there. She looked to him and whispered, “I love you.”

He gave her a wink and flashed a rogue grin, but she could see in his eyes that it was for show. The Rogue had taken a liking to Xan, and his loss was having more of an effect on Myk than he’d ever let on.

“We’ll be there in a minute,” He said, closing his eyes for a moment. He opened them and said, “Calli’s with Steffan, and doing better than she had been. Xan…well, it seems it happened yesterday. Weird that we didn’t feel it…”

“We were in hyperspace,” Arie said. “But, you’re right. Something’s…off about this whole mess.”

“Well, we’ll find out soon enough,” Myk shrugged as he brought the _Firebird_ down on the landing pad, and began the shut-down sequence. He got up from his seat as the engines powered down, and he wrapped his two girls in his arms. “It’ll be okay,” He said. “It’ll be okay.”

* * *

**Bastion**

He lay bleeding at her feet, gasping for breath and clawing at the blackened ferrocrete beneath him. She stared down impassively, one eye colder than winter on Hoth, the other burning molten red. “Such is the price of failure,” She said as the previous base commander gurgled softly on his own blood, dying at her feet. She turned to the massive figure standing beside her. “How much do they know?”

“Impossible to tell,” his voice was deep, resonating. He stood at a staggering 2.5 meters tall and was easily 142 kilos. And, that was before he clad himself head-to-foot in blackened _beskar’gam_ armor. He had been a Mando once, or he’d killed one his size. Either way, he was a force to be reckoned with. Compounded with his mastery of the Sith arts, he was a formidable ally and a deadly foe.

He surveyed the destruction with disinterest. “The mando had skill,” He rumbled. “Pity I was not here to kill him.” He shook his head before looking down at her. She decided she didn’t much care for that. “We know he was plugged into the detention center computers for close to one and a half minutes. He couldn’t have gleaned much, and whatever he could pull will take weeks to decrypt. Our plans will be beyond the point of stopping well before then.”

“Well, you had better be right about that,” Isard crossed her arms and began walking toward her waiting shuttle. “We’re still moving the assets into position. They’re vulnerable. I don’t like being vulnerable.”

“The Jedi have no idea what we’re planning, My Lady,” The Dark One growled. “Their days and the days of their Republic are numbered.” But, she was gone. He hated when she did that, but theirs was a necessary alliance. The Sith were too few. They hadn’t the resources or the manpower to complete their quest. The Empire had both, and in vast quantities. They would serve their purpose, and when the Sith were strong enough when the Jedi had been purged from the galaxy, they would be easily replaced. He stooped down to examine the armor of the fallen Mando Jedi. His body had finally faded into the Force. The Dark One wrapped a giant gloved hand around Xan’s saber and clipped the blade to his own belt.

* * *

**Cataan**

“It’s a good thing he’s rich,” Nik-Yar whistled as he surveyed the numerous ships now housed in Steffan Karrde’s private hangar. Vince’s _Firespray_ – the _Dragon_ , Myk’s YT-2000 – the _Firebird_ , Nik’s ridiculously modified _Lambda_ -class shuttle – the _Phantom_ , another _Firespray_ he didn’t recognize, and then the Karrde’s numerous ships all managed to fit, albeit snugly.

“From what I understand, the estate has been in the family for generations,” Vincent perched atop a supply crate and brooded. He’d been more and more sullen and moody of late, but that was to be expected of a mercenary doing pro bono work.

“Oh, buck up, will you?” Nik sighed, exasperated. “You’re starting to damage my calm.”

Vincent just shrugged and lit a cigarette. Nik threw his hands in the air and turned for the personnel lift out of the underground hangar. “Your loss, pal,” He called as the lift doors closed. “ _Kriffin’_ crybaby,” he fumed as the lift shot upward. It opened onto the surface, and the golden light of the mid-day sun streamed down and warmed the pirate inside and out.

He stood and stretched for a bit, eyes scanning the distant horizon. It really was a beautiful world, but he was far more suited for the dense cityscape of Coruscant or the shady alleys of Nar Shadaa. All that sky made him feel a bit exposed. Shrugging, he set off for the main house. He and Vince had been invited to sit in on the inner council meeting to take place later that night. And, the Karrdes had been hospitable enough to open their ample kitchen to the suddenly numerous houseguests. Nik-Yar Randar was hungry. In a galaxy full of turmoil, an empty stomach was one thing he could fix immediately. Whistling to himself he continued down the path.

* * *

Time passed slowly for Jarod as he knelt in meditation. He had found a private alcove that, according to Master Steffan, would have been used for personal prayers by the monks. His robe and vest were folded at the edge of the hallway as he leaned against the stone archway, thinking about what happened. The sound of steps caught his attention and they were as familiar to him as everything else here. "I forgot this place can be hard to find," he said with a soft smile in his voice as he kept his eyes closed.

A soft rustling reached his ears as Marin settled beside him, her fingers finding his. "I'm glad you're back...." she trailed off a bit, noticing the condition of his robes. "Are you alright...?"

"Nothing some time won't heal," he said softly. "Close calls, mostly....if you're asking me about my physical condition."

She sighed, the sound oddly loud in the enclosed space. "And otherwise...? I felt it when he...." she trailed off a bit, clutching tighter at his fingers. "I wish there was something I could do..."

"There was nothing I could do...nor could the sensei," Jarod said as he sighed. "And we were but yards away. There were so many..."

She nodded silently, taking a breath as she tried to calm herself. "I wonder if there is some way I can help Master Callista......" It felt odd to call the woman by her title, for both she and Xan had insisted there was no need for it except in formal settings.

"I don't know," he said as he looked out over the forest below. "The power that I felt there. I fought with Ryneas against those wannabes to free my home. These people on Bastion.... Marin, I've never faced such an opponent like that."

Marin frowned. "I know.... and Sensei told me it was difficult for him as well." She sighed again, fiddling with Jarius' tags. "It's just that... I hate to see her go through what I did when I lost _buir_...."

"She has the support that you did," he told her softly. "It just takes time, as it did with you."

She looked away, a bit guiltily. "I almost went off on a rampage... and I could tell she wanted to... I could feel her agony, Jarod..."

"As I heard, Ethan held her back."

"Aye...." she replied softly. "But she was fighting him..."

"I've seen him hold his own," Jarod said with a grin. "I'm sure he'd give those guys on Bastion the biggest fight they'd ever seen."

Marin chuckled a bit. "Aye, he would at that..." She fell silent then, content to lean on his shoulder as she moved closer. "And what of you and I...?" She frowned. She didn't want to sound jealous, but she was at least a little. She was still training, and it felt like she would be for some time yet.

"Feel like you're on the sidelines?" he asked as he put his arm around her.

" ' _lek_..." she replied softly, her voice slightly muffled against his shoulder.

"You're not alone. Heard a few others around here wanting to be part of this fight that's coming. They shouldn't be so eager."

She swore softly. "It's not that... I'm... feeling left out.... as if I could be doing more, but aren't being given the opportunity..."

"You may get that opportunity."

She looked a question at him.

"I'm not completely certain," he told her. "I have the feeling that this fight is going to take all of us. Just like the other great battles have been."

She nodded quietly and squeezed his hand for a moment.

He smiled at her and held her hand. "Maybe talk to him when I go back to the house."

Marin considered that for a moment and nodded before she rested her head on his shoulder again. "Would you come with me?"

"Where to?" he asked her.

She grinned a little. "You remember that clearing where I found you after _buir_ was killed?"

"I actually think of that as _our_ clearing. No one else seems to know of it." He smiled warmly at her.

She chuckled. "I guess that's good then..." She pushed to her feet, offering him a hand as she hefted a small pack over her shoulder.

He looked at the pack and started to take her hand. "What's in there?"

She shrugged a bit. "Camping supplies. That is, unless you have somewhere to be?"

"Not I," he said as he got up. "Lead on."

* * *

Steffan walked into the clearing that was to be used for Xan's memorial. The small obelisk was already in place, with a tribute in Cataani, Basic, and _Mando'a_ carved by a master craftsman. He looked around and nodded and stayed there for a short while as he felt her approaching. "I was wondering when you'd make the request," he said as he turned to see Marin entering the clearing. "You've been bubbling over for quite some time."

She paused a few steps away, to gather her thoughts as she nodded. She was dressed in the tunics of the praxeum, and she carried a package under her arm. She flushed a bit. "Sensei, I do not make the request to dishonor you... or Andrea in any way." She studied the obelisk for a moment. "I want to offer my skills. I feel they will be needed soon."

He nodded softly. "Well, my daughter has felt your eagerness as well. Especially after finishing matters with the Death Watch. Your arm," he said, motioning to the arm that was injured. "Is it healed well?"

Marin looked down a moment, flexing the fingers of her left hand. "It still twinges every now and again, but I've recovered full use otherwise." She paused a moment. "I've been working on drills with my _jetti'kad_ for a few days."

"And you feel ready then," he said, more a statement than a question.

She nodded once. "I do, sensei," she replied firmly.

He nodded softly and walked around the courtyard while Marin remained standing there. "Andrea would say that your instruction is complete to the degree short of your becoming a full Jedi. Ethan and I have had talks and he agrees that your training with him as gone well, though he doesn't think your to the point of striking out on your own as of yet."

She tilted her head inquisitively at that. "May I ask why, Sensei?"

"I think he wants to make sure you'll handle things well. If I may say, I think he's taken a grandfatherly attitude with you since Jarius' passing."

She smiled a bit. "Aye, I'd noticed. And I don't mind. He's a good man. And he's always been good to me." She moved quietly across the grass towards him, her footsteps making hardly a sound.

"Your skills have given you more an ability to infiltrate as well as combat," he said as he looked to her. "I personally think Ethan may have something in mind, but he's not shared it with me. As far as your training here is concerned, Andrea feels it almost completed. That is between Master and padawan, so I leave it to her as well."

"I shall speak with her, then." She fiddled a bit with the package under her arm. "I made you something, Sensei."

"Oh?" he asked as he looked at the package.

She flushed a bit and hefted the package. "It's to go with your armor.." After a moment, she passed it to him. Inside laid a series of carefully made, lightweight _beskar_ plates that were fitted to wear over his boots. She wasn't sure if he had any, but she'd wanted to do... _something_.

He smiled and looked over the pattern. "I haven't seen this pattern for a long time. Did you research old Cataani armor for this?"

She blushed a bit. "Aye, I did, Sensei...." she replied quietly, her gaze going to the memorial for a moment.

He caught her gaze. "Callista doesn't know about it yet. There will be a private service here later."

She smiled a bit. "I think it will help her to see it. But, I know how much it hurts, also..."

"I do too," he said, remembering his own. "I do too."

She fidgeted a moment with another package before she took a few steps towards the memorial. She knew it wasn't much, but Xan had been a fixture in her life ever since they'd met that day so many years ago. Inside this package was a small set of knives. She designed them to look one like a miniature _beskad_ , and the other like his saber hilt. All out of _beskar_ , of course. They were both about twelve inches long. The blade of the saber was clear polycarbonate. She'd wired it with electronics so that the blade emitted a soft green-gold glow. She spent a moment looking around the memorial until she found a niche that they would fit into.

Steffan looked at this and studied the one that resembled his lightsaber...something odd struck him.

She felt it, and stood up from where she'd knelt to place them. "Something wrong, sensei?"

"I'm not sure," he said as he thought about it. "Something in the Force prodding me. I'll have to think on it later."

* * *

The old stump was comfortable as a chair for Ethan as he sat on it and leaned against the other part of the tree and looked over the setting sun. He'd been up here for several hours, doing his own mourning. There was a small fire going next to him now with an old pot on a rock near it, the caf inside it half gone as he sat there with a cup in his hands. “You're going to have to be lighter footed if you're going to try to sneak up on me like that, _dalyc_ ," he said as he took another sip.  
  
Marin reddened a bit in chagrin as she padded to a stop next to him. " _Ni ceta...._ sometimes I forget that though you aren't _jetiise_ , your skills are well honed like theirs..." She smiled slightly and sank down to sit on the ground next to his perch. She was quiet for a moment before she spoke. "I miss him... not like I miss _buir_... but almost the same..." she said quietly, staring into the dying fire.

Ethan put a few sticks on and motioned to an extra cup if she wanted it before he sat back on the stump and thought about it. "I feel the same. Jarius was a friend and countryman. Xan was a fellow _Mando'ad_ , but it's not the same for me either. But I'm glad about one thing, though..."

She quirked an eyebrow a bit as she poured herself a cup. She wasn't a huge fan of caf, but she wasn't about to turn down a warm drink as the twilight chill began to creep in. "What's that...?" she asked, lifting her gaze to him as she set the caf pot back on the coals.

Ethan stared at the fire for a few moments. "He took as many of those _chakaare_ with him as he could..."

She nodded. "Master Karrde told me as much. I figured he would have, too. He went down fighting to protect the others. As I would have had I been in a situation like that." She sighed a bit and looked out towards the horizon, thinking for a moment. "But is his sacrifice for naught; or did it help?"

"I suppose we'll find out from Sharon and those Intel guys," he told her. "Xan pulled some info off of their computers and gave Karrde the datacard before they left. I don't know how long it'll take to crack, but be ready when they do."

She raised an eyebrow, but grinned a little. "If I know Sharon, she'll crack it pretty fast. She's really good at that. And, it gives her something to focus on.." she finished almost to herself. She could imagine what Sharon was going through, and Callista especially. She'd been there once.

Ethan took another sip of his caf and looked over at her. "You didn't come up here just to share a fire." It wasn't a question.

Marin sighed. He knew her too well. He could read her just about as well as Master Karrde or Andrea, and he _didn't_ have the Force. Several seconds of silence fell between them, broken only by the crackling and popping of the fire before she spoke. "I spoke with Master Karrde. I know many of the students here want to go and help. I do too. And it's not because I'm impatient, and I mean no disrespect to either of them. I feel my skills are needed. I can't ignore that."

"You did a lot to prove that already, _Mar'ika_ ," he told her as he leaned back. "And we'll be moving soon."

She looked over at him. " _We_...? And where will we be going?" She kept her voice calm. From what Master Karrde had said, she'd expected that, to a degree.

"Soon as that code's cracked, we'll know then. Until then, keep your practice up at your discretion. You just about have everything ready to go."

She frowned slightly but then chuckled. Figures he'd been keeping tabs on her. And she couldn't hide from him. As much as she'd tried to on a few occasions. She flexed her left hand idly, more out of remembered pain now than anything as she looked into the fire. "Anything specific we'll need to take with us?"

"We'll store everything on the _Werda_. Once we get an idea of what we can do, then we'll get mission-specific."

She frowned briefly. "Should I move my strongbox to the _Werda_ as well...?"

He looked up at this question. "It depends...I don't know what you have stored in it. Does it deserve to be here or on the ship or at home?"

She paused to consider that for a moment. "It's mostly my _beskar'gam_ and weapons, with a few personal items...."

"However you want to do it then."

Marin nodded, mentally making a mental list of what she might need to take with her. She smiled to herself as she remembered having installed a small anti-grav unit in the strongbox. It was quite heavy. "I'll also pack some spare fatigues and whatnot. Better to be prepared and ready."

"Aye," Ethan said as he looked into the fire again.

She fell silent for a moment, contemplating the flames. "I've been trying to think of a way I can help Master Callista.... and to honor Xan's memory.."

"How so?" she had Ethan's attention now.

"I'm not sure..." she admitted. "But, I want to honor his memory somehow...."

"Do it in your own way," he told her. "I am in mine right now."

A nod was her only answer as she stared into the flames. "Can I show you something...?" she said into the silence. "There's a memorial for Xan... I left something there... for him."

"What was it?"

She smiled a bit. "Let me show you..." She turned and banked the fire before leading him to the clearing where the memorial was.

He walked along and noted the small clearing and where the obelisk stood and noted the languages carved into it. That had to be Master Karrde's doing and he nodded at the sentiment. He looked around more and saw the small _beskad_ and a miniature lightsaber together. Ethan studied it and looked towards Marin. "Yours?"

"Aye...." she said softly.

He nodded at all the sentiments that were here, but something still felt missing. "Callista hasn't been here yet, has she?"

Marin shook her head. " _Nayc_. Master Karrde said there would be a private service later, why?"

"I could tell...seeing the mementos here is really going to touch her. I hope she'll hold up well during it."

"Me too..." she answered quietly, as her fingers traced the miniature lightsaber. "This one was the most difficult for me... I did it purely from memory... and then wired the electronics into it."

He nodded and closed his eyes. "I'm surprised mine is still here."

Marin looked around, grinning a bit when she spotted the dusky bottle. " _Shab...._ I am too, though most Cataani haven't ever tasted _netra'gal_. I think it'll be left alone."

"Us and our tastes," Ethan said with a small smile. "I haven't either. But I knew he enjoyed it, so it’s my gift to him."

She smiled a bit. "He let me try some once... knocked me on my _shebs_..."

"I've heard it can...let it touch your tongue, did ya?"

She smirked. "Should I not have?"

He laughed as they walked out of the clearing. "That's what knocked you on your _shebs_!"

* * *

Marin sighed, absently flexing the fingers of her left hand. While she'd regained use of the hand, it still bothered her at times. Lady Karrde said it was merely remnants of what had happened that remained in the nerve and muscle memory. She stood easily on the veranda that surrounded the Karrde home, Souvrin's saber clutched in her left hand. She knew Andrea wouldn't approve, but she had to get back into fighting form.

She took a deep breath and let it out as her eyes drifted partway closed. Slowly, she moved into the first position of her form, slowly sliding her feet along the deck as she moved into the second position. As she did so, she noticed several presences converging on her position - the house. Two, she recognized. The Phoenix and the Rogue. There was another with them. It felt, younger, but the power she felt was on par with that of both of them. _Their daughter, maybe...?_ She hedged a guess.

The other two felt similar to Myk... that barely contained power. She kept her eyes closed, focusing on her task as they drew closer. Her tunics and braid marked her quite obviously as a student of the praxeum. She'd left her _beskar'gam_ back at the praxeum, opting for her tunics instead. She could move better in them and didn't want to risk injuring herself with the slightly restricted movement in the _beskar'gam_.

She too had felt Xan's death, or at least the ripples of it through Callista. The connection between Callista and Xan had been strong indeed. Briefly, she focused on the house. Master Karrde was there, along with Sharon. The two girls had gotten along rather well. Marin had to admit she liked Sharon. On the few occasions they'd worked together it had turned out rather well.

She paused briefly as she felt the five people approach the stairs to the veranda, before continuing her kata. While she wanted to help in all of this, she knew Master Karrde, Ethan and Andrea might have other things for her to do.


	34. Chapter 34

**Cataan - Karrde estate**

The sun was just starting to peek over the treetops and stream into the windows of the Karrde estate as those within were stirring. The smells from the kitchen slow drew everyone in that direction. Not surprisingly, Myk was one of the first into the large open kitchen, and he was having to endure Jade's attempts to shoo him from the stove as she cooked with the help of Marin and Arie. Evelina was perched on a stool at the counter, watching them work.

Marin just rolled her eyes a bit and went back to what she was doing. Cooking was actually helping her... it helped her work on the finer motor control in her left hand. Something she desperately needed. Her saber work was still a bit... clumsy. She sighed a bit to herself and then got a grin as she considered something. When Jade was turned away, she pulled a flapjack from the still-steaming stack and passed it to the man she'd heard Lady Karrde call Myk. She winked at him and then went back to what she was doing.

Arie had caught it, and she grinned. _'There's something about her, Rogue.... There's power there... but I don't know if she's fully discovered it... Reminds me a little of you when you were younger...'_

Myk looked sideways at Arie for a moment from where he rested his chin on her shoulder and then stole a glance at Marin. Her back was to him now as she busied herself at the stove _. 'Isn't she Andrea's student? I heard Steffan mention something about her training under one of Xan's Mando brethren also..?'_

Arie shrugged fractionally. _'Yeah... he did say that. I still can't believe we didn't sense that he...'_ she broke off, her sense in the Force going quiet for a moment.

His arms wrapped around her and held her close for a moment _. 'I know, princess. We should go see Calli after breakfast. She's upstairs. Kriff, I can only imagine what this is doing to her...'_

She squeezed his hand for a moment. Her mental voice was quiet. _'I can... I felt much the same when I thought you were gone...'_

Myk sighed. _'I know, Princess.'_ He kissed her cheek and then went to sit at the counter and play a game with Evelina.

* * *

**That evening - Praxeum - Great Hall**

The scent of caf and tea filled the room as Sharon stepped up to the front of the room. She was nervous. If one looked closely, they would see her hands shaking slightly. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a steadying breath. The weight of what she was about to share weighed on her. It had taken her two days of no sleep and copious amounts of caf to crack the encryption. She stole a look at Admiral Nar Challa, and got a nod in return.

Sharon took a deep breath and reached out in the Force to lower the lights a bit. Along with Master Karrde; a young Knight sat next to him, with Marin and Ethan beside them. Admiral Nar Challa and Prince Edward sat to Steffan's other side with Arie, Myk, Nik, and Vince behind them. She frowned a moment as she noticed Master Callista wasn't present, but then she nodded. She was still in mourning.

Her hands fussed a bit with her tunic. She was dressed in more utilitarian clothes similar to those that Marin wore on missions. A long moment of silence passed before she cleared her throat. "I called this briefing to fill you in on the contents of that datacard from... Xan.." She choked a bit on his name, but he'd always insisted she call him by his name instead of his title. "I, along with some help from Cataani Intelligence, cracked the encryption late last night."

She paused for a moment to look out over the small crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen... The Empire and the Sith have created a new superweapon." She keyed a holo to life, and it hovered in the air beside her as it rotated slowly. "This... is the project code-named the Harvester. It is a massive cannon... powered by the Force itself." She let that sink in for a few moments. hearing the murmurs. "There are five of these things spread through the joint Sith-Imperial fleet."

She sighed. "I'm sure you all remember those wounds in the Force we've been finding over the last few years. Those were the side-effects of the testing phase of the Harvesters...."

"A Force Harvester," Arie said as she thought about it. Myk had seen her reaction and had wondered what she was thinking. "I thought Anakin had destroyed it," She said as she paced around the hall. It brought a curious look from several, but only the ones that didn't know her past.

"Skywalker?" Steffan asked, trying to remember the histories that were in his library.

"Before my time, but she told me about it," Myk said in response. "Dooku had found it, hadn't he?"

Sharon frowned, only half following the older woman's train of thought. She knew her Jedi histories, but this...... now she was starting to remember a mention of it. "Excuse me, Masters.....?" Her tone was very confused.

"It was older than that," she told them. "Legend had it that it Exar Kun's creation from ages ago....with the ability to absorb the energies of the Force. Not just from those that can touch it like the Jedi, but all life. I'm sorry," she said to Sharon. "I'm familiar with what you're talking about."

Sharon frowned, and tilted her head slightly. "Pardon me, Master...?" she left the question hanging, a request for a name.

Myk could see the instant concern in his wife's eyes and looked to Steffan to explain it.

"Master Arie has the most experiences of any of us here," the Cataani told the group. "She was originally born and trained as a Jedi before the beginning of the Clone Wars. If she's remembering an instant from that time, she's telling the truth."

Sharon fell silent for a moment, trading a look with Master Karrde before she nodded. "Very well. My apologies, Master.." She bowed her head before gesturing Arie to continue.

"As I said, its an object of Sith origin," Arie told them. "And it just as it sounds...harvesting the life energy of others. During the Clone Wars, Dooku found it and was going to use it. Anakin Skywalker had stopped him and we thought the harvester destroyed in the process."

Sharon's lips thinned a bit at the news. "Well, the Empire found it and rebuilt it. The information Master Xan found proves it beyond a doubt." Her breath caught slightly on Xan's name. and she took a deep breath, trying to keep calm.

Ethan stood in the corner and looked to them all. "Would this explain the 'wounds' you've been feeling all this time? If what you're saying is true, it sounds like those areas are going to be pretty sparse."

"It would," Steffan said as he thought about it and looked to Sharon. "Was there any indication of what they're using it for? Powering something, perhaps."

Sharon frowned. "From the data collected, the 'wounds' formed during the testing phase." She paused at Master Karrde's question. "Near as I can tell, they are using the ...Force they've collected to power some very devastating weapons.... somewhat on par with the World Devastators... or worse.."

He thought it some more. "Or...."

Myk glanced in that direction, he knew the look. "What is it, Steffan?"

"One of those wounds in Hutt Space," Steffan said aloud. "There had been an old rouge that had swiped a Imperial-class prototype...when I was a padawan, my master and I were trying to track him down."

"What was the ship?" Myk asked him.

"The _Revenant_ ," Steffan told him. "One of a class sub-type to adapt a smaller version of the Death Star's superlaser into a more mobile and easier defended platform."

At that, Marin frowned. "A more mobile version...? The Death Star itself was rather mobile...."

"Which is easier to find?" Ethan asked her. "A ship or a moon-sized station?"

Marin motioned in Ethan's direction. "I see your point...."

"I'm sorry," Myk said for a moment and looked to Ethan. "I'm trying to get my bearings on these new faces here. Gimmie a hand?"

Sharon grinned, and Marin stifled a giggle. It was Sharon that spoke first. "Sharon Mohren, sir. Padawan to... the late Master Qenadius..." The last was spoken softly as she looked away briefly.

Marin slipped her own words in then. "I'm Marin Durza. I'm a student at the Praxeum, and ...er Master Andrea's Padawan." She fidgeted a bit at the title mix-up, tossing a nervous glance to Master Karrde.

"Marin's father was the one that was killed on Galan," Steffan told him. "I think you remember that."

"So we know what they have," Arie said, getting back onto the subject. "But where are they going?"

"Here," Steffan said quietly

Sharon blinked for a moment. "Uhm...." She checked her data again. "There are a couple of targets listed here, but chances are, their way ahead of us. The two targets are: Cataan and Coruscant..."

"Coruscant won't be first," Steffan said, quietly again and he sat at his normal seat in the hall. "It'll be here."

The two girls looked at each other, and then to Master Karrde. It was Marin who spoke. She'd learned long ago not to question such things from Master Karrde. She looked to Sharon and then back to him. "When... and can anything be done...?"

"Moreover," Arie asked. "Why here first?"

"Marin and Ethan helped answer that question," Steffan said as he gestured to them. " _Kyr'tsad_ was used to scout Cataan for them. Our naval deployment for the Empire...the praxeum for the Sith."

"The praxeum?" Ethan asked.

Marin swallowed at that. The mere thought sent shivers down her spine where they settled into a cold lump in her stomach.

"Steffan is one of their foremost opponents," Myk told him. "The Sith know it. I can imagine when they learned he was teaching whole groups of students in his style, they wanted to know how many there are now."

Marin shivered, sharing a pointed glance with Ethan and then Master Karrde. _The same questions J'oran had asked her..._

"And Cataan's military capabilities are equal of the New Republic's," Ethan said, putting it together. "They were able to take on entire campaigns themselves...and I'm sure even the Empire took notice of the thrashing the Bothans took from us."

"They're not as concerned about the New Republic," Steffan mentioned. "They've already had their way on Coruscant for the most part. What happened at Ord Canfree is evidence of that. Third Group hasn't forgotten the Republic's lax handling of the battle....some of the officer corps almost called it a betrayal."

Marin looked back and forth between the adults in the room. "So, what can be done....?"

Steffan looked to the others. "This is going to have to be more than just us in this fight. Sharon, what else did Xan discover...any kind of timetable that could help us?"

Sharon chewed thoughtfully on her lip. "According to the data, we have two weeks, at most.... "

"Two weeks..." Arie said. "Half of that is going to be the travel time to here. They won't pass directly through Republic space, no matter how cowed they've made Coruscant."

"Hutt Space," Ethan said. "They'll use Hutt Space and loop around. That's why they were going so far into their territory. If they went any deeper into the Unknown Regions, they could even pincer us and then the Republic fleet."

Sharon frowned and nodded. "Yes, they could. And with Coruscant being their next target after Cataan, it could cripple most of the Republic's military power....."

Steffan thought on it some and looked over to Arie. "How fast can you clean Maxell's clock and get them ready? They're going to throw everything they have here first."

“Whoa there, Steffan,” Myk spoke up, finally. “What are you suggesting?”

In answer, Steffan just raised his eyebrow. The conference room had grown deathly quiet. Sharon closed down the projected image of the weapon, and stepped down from the lectern to take her seat at the large round table. Nik and Vince sat near a large open window, away from the larger group, but still a part of the conversation. Nik had been absent-mindedly shuffling a sabacc deck. He’d stopped now.

Myk could just barely hear the sounds of Evelina and Jade in the kitchen a few rooms over. He knew full well what Steffan was saying, he just didn’t want to. Arie put a hand on his shoulder, and Myk gripped the glass of Corellian Ale he’d been nursing. “Steffan,” He said finally. “That’s a _tall_ order.”

“I know.”

“I mean, it’s _huge_ ,” Myk continued.

“I know.”

“It’s _treason_.”

“Yes.”

“It’s insane.”

“Quite.”

“It’s…”

“Right up your alley?”

“So,” Myk finally sighed and hung his head. “You want us to oust Maxell, put Arie back in charge, and somehow convince the current president that it’s all okay. And, that’s just one of the two major problems I have with this idea. How do we convince the president of democracy that a military coup is legit?”

“Leave that to me,” Steffan said. “Do you want to voice your other concern?”

“What if Arie doesn’t want to be Supreme General of the joint NR military again?” His exasperation bubbled over through the Force. Those sensitive to such things winced. Steffan, expecting the surge, had deflected it around him and remained unruffled.

“I’m actually okay with it,” Arie shrugged nonchalantly.

Now it was Myk’s turn to throw an incredulous stare but directed at his wife.

“Oh, come on, now, nerfherder,” Arie admonished him with a wink. “I’m bored. I’m young, thanks to you. And, I’m capable. Thinking of the future, what better way to ensure the galaxy is the place we want Evelina growing up in? I’ll hire you as a ‘consultant,’ hell, I’ll hire you two as ‘consultants’ as well.” Arie threw a look back to Nik and Vince, who merely smiled and nodded respectively.

All of his steam stolen with a wink and a smile, Myk turned back to Steffan with a smirk. “Okay, I guess we’re in.”

“Good,” The Jedi Master cast a knowing grin. Myk rolled his eyes and gulped down a large portion of his ale before muttering something about the illusion of choice. Steffan ignored it. “So, say we don’t have to worry about legal ramifications from the president; how quickly can you infiltrate Coruscant High Command, remove Maxell, put Arie in his place, and mobilize the fleet?”

Myk-Ron looked back to Nik and Vince, who both cast him looks as though to say, “Duh.”

“Well, we’ll keep the team small then,” Myk looked to the ceiling in thought. He checked his chrono. “If we can organize and leave within five hours, that puts us on Coruscant tomorrow at oh-four-hundred, Galactic Standard. We can insert immediately. Assuming we’re going for a zero-casualty coup…I’d say we could have Arie in the office and in the chair by oh-five-thirty.”

Vincent chuckled. “Feeling old, Myk?”

“It’s called operational cushion, Vinny,” Myk shot back and saw the mercenary shoot him a glare at the nickname. “I can’t speak for mobilizing the fleet.”

“Same day,” Arie nodded. “Call it twenty-one hundred hours to have Second and Third Fleets in hyperspace, and en route to Cataan.”

“First stays for Coruscant’s defense?” Ethan spoke up. “They may still hit the Capitol as a feint.”

“Yes, First Fleet stays,” Arie said. “I’ll take command of Second and Third from _New Hope_.”

Ethan whistled, Nik and Vince exchanged high-fives. Sharon and Marin looked completely lost. “ _New Hope_ is a revamped SSD," Myk-Ron supplied. "I didn’t know it was finished.”

“It is,” Arie's smile went predatory. “And, Maxell’s got it parked at Coruscant, doing patrol duty.”

“Okay,” Steffan said before the conversation became side-tracked. “So, we’re looking at phase one of your mission being complete in roughly three days’ time. That’s more than enough to have the Cataani Navy in defensive positions by the time your fleets arrive-“

“Fleet,” Arie interrupted. “Only Second Fleet will be arriving in Cataani space. I’ll be keeping Third at an undisclosed point between Coruscant and Cataan as reinforcement for either field.”

“See?” Nik joked. “That’s why she makes the big money.”

“The Second Fleet should be fine,” Steffan said. “I’ll send a message to the Cataani Admiralty. We can further plan phase two via secure Hypercom.”

“You still haven’t told me why we don’t have to worry about the President or being put on trial for high treason,” Myk shot the Jedi a look. “You’re hiding something.”

“I am,” Steffan agreed. “You’re a soldier, Myk-Ron Dinn. Call this a ‘need-to-know’ scenario.”

“I’m a pilot,” Myk folded his arms. “We don’t like flying blind.”

“But, you will.”

“Yeah,” Myk grinned. “How else do I make this a challenge?”

“Good,” Steffan sat back. “Myk, Arie, get your team ready. You’ll find supplies in the main hangar. I’ll work on getting in touch with Cataani forces. Sharon, Ethan, and Marin; you’re with me. We meet back here in four hours for a joint mission briefing. Everyone good?”

There were nods all around. Myk had his hand up like a child in a classroom.

“Yes, Myk?” Steffan sighed.

“When are we going to be done saving the galaxy?”

“When it doesn’t need saving anymore, or when our children can kick our collective hides out of the game.”

“Yeah,” Myk said. “I figured as much.”

* * *

** Cataan Royal Palace **

The castle was the oldest structure of its size still on the planet. It was also now the most secure, having had layers of security added as time passed. The personnel whose duty was to protect it were some of the best and highly trained people that had come through Cataan’s military forces. Each were skilled in practically every weapon imaginable, from blades to the most modern equipment. They practiced kata using their blasters as skillfully as they could with a blade. With all of this, they were still surprised and impressed at the speed and fluid movements of their princess’ abilities with the one weapon none of them had any experience with.

Andrea was moving through her kata with the green blade of her lightsaber humming in the sparring chamber of the castle. Ian was occupied with a few toys and occasionally looked to see his mother moving smoothly through her footwork as the blade spun around. “Come on in you two,” she said without pause, her breath not even accelerated slightly as she had sensed her visitors coming from some distance off.

Marin flushed, squeezing Jarod's hand for a moment as they stepped into the room. She'd been in here once or twice but was still awed by the size of the place.

Jarod smiled at her and moved off to the side. This was going to be a 'master/apprentice' discussion, but her had been along for support. He nodded to the guards as he sat on the floor outside of the circle.

Marin took a slow breath, smoothing her hair briefly before she unclipped Souvrin's saber from its customary place on her belt. Two steps brought her to the edge of the circle, and she turned bowing once at the edge before she stepped inside. She stood easily for a moment, rolling her shoulders before she began working on some of the kata from the Fifth form. She had never really sparred Andrea, and the idea, caused her to smile a little. 'Can we...?' she asked over their connection.

Andrea stopped in mid-movement and looked at her. "How's your arm?"

That brought her up short. "It's better. I've been working with my _jetti'kad_ , and I barely get any twinges now..." Her voice was calm and even as she began to focus, following Andrea's words.

"We'll go easy to begin," she said as she adjusted her stance and bowed to Marin before assuming a more traditional sparring stance.

Marin nodded once, raising her saber in salute after she bowed. A few steps carried her almost to the edge of the circle, where she assumed a ready stance, one foot slightly in front of the other, her saber low to her center with the blade pointed to the floor.

Andrea smiled and changed her stance to put her blade facing away from Marin before taking two steps up. Her saber came around from underneath, then suddenly spun in her grip to turn it into a strike from above.

Marin felt the pulse of warning even as it happened. She took a step back, sweeping her blade up to block the strike from above as she gently shoved Andrea away with the Force. She was trying to be mindful of the present company, and not get too rough.

She was ready for it and the push passed through her as she spun around to counter with a push of her own. "What's on your mind?"

Marin felt it and used the energy to backflip away, conscious of the edge of the circle. There was a moment of silence, broken only by the hum from their blades. "I.... already spoke to Master Karrde about it... and Ethan. With recent events, I feel that my particular skills will be needed." She paused for a moment to block a strike to her ribcage. "And I wanted to ask you about it since you're my teacher." She knew Andrea could read her thoughts. There was much she wasn't saying, and for good reason.

"That's only part of it," Andrea said as she went to a one-handed stance, holding the saber level with the ground and stretching her free arm behind her.

Marin nodded, ever so slightly. "Aye..." her answer was firm. She moved slowly across the floor... almost prowling like a sand panther as she studied Andrea's stance and presence in the Force. She thought for a moment, trying to sort out how to say it. "I.... wish to continue my Mandalorian training. And my Jedi also." She frowned. She wasn't entirely sure if pursuing knighthood was the right thing for her, but she hated leaving something unfinished.

"You've learned a good deal from me, Marin," Andrea said as she moved loosely in her fighting stance. "It just takes time and practice, and getting the experience...sadly, you're not going to find that from me right now. And you've been raised into the _Mando_ way with Jarius and with Ethan too to a point."

Marin frowned, bringing her blade up and round to strike for Andrea's ribs. "That's the thing... I need experience, and as you said... that's something I can't always get here..." She paused. "No disrespect intended.." she finished softly.

"None taken," Andrea said as she just moved her body slightly to catch the strike, then she pulled the unexpected. She moved in close while Marin's blade was blocked and then suddenly spun against her outstretched sword arm as she passed Marin and moved around to tap her student on the back.

Marin stumbled slightly in surprise, her cheeks coloring a bit. She backed off a step or two and nodded before taking up her stance again. She regarded Andrea for a moment, and slowly closed down on her presence in the Force. She was testing..... In the next instant, she moved across the circle, her knee lifting to block a low strike as she moved in close herself. She wasn't even thinking, just, feeling..... She ducked under Andrea's arm, going to sweep her feet from behind before she brought the blade to Andrea's shoulder..... and stopped two inches away. The blue blade hovered next to Andrea's ear.

"Good," Andrea told her with a smile. "You remembered that your saber doesn't have a training setting." She grinned as she got back up. The guards were unmoved, knowing that it was a spar. Jarod looked around and nodded at the two's movements.

Marin nodded, and backed up a step or two. "What are your thoughts on my request, Teacher?" She fell back into formality for a moment, for this was important to her.

Andrea nodded softly and closed down her lightsaber, smiling at her. "Ethan and I have been talking about it already. You know you're welcome here for any kind of lesson, training, or just needing to talk."

Marin nodded, closing down her own blade as well. She chewed her lip for a moment. "And knighthood?" She flushed. She'd finally said it. It had been gnawing at her. She knew Master Karrde wouldn't have an issue, but she wasn't sure if it was the right path for her, or if she should go back to her Mandalorian ways...

"You know that there are several things that you have to be tested on," her teacher told her softly as she walked up. "I can't tell you which path you're to choose, can't tell you what you should do. No more than I can my son's..." She looked over to Ian playing there and a warm smile came to her face. "He'll have to make his choice...and so will you, Marin. You'll have to decide which path you want to take."

Marin frowned. "Is it possible to do both? I know Master Callista does...."

"It is. You'll have to find a balance in it. There are some lines that a Jedi will not cross that a Mandalorian may cross without blinking."

She fell silent for a moment, thinking as she chanced a look to Jarod. Not an easy decision, to be sure. But her heart was telling her to keep to both, as she had since she'd begun her training at the praxeum. Her presence diminished briefly as she pulled the Force close about her, almost as if she was cloaking herself with it. That same determination she'd showed Master Karrde so long ago was very clear. For her, there was no turning back. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes to look at Andrea again. "I walk both paths... and I always will."

Andrea was grinning now. "I guess I can tell Daddy he was right then," she said as she hugged her padawan.

Marin giggled. "He always seems to know these things...." She wrapped her arms around Andrea, her gaze going to Jarod. Now that's she'd made the decision.... what was next in her journey. "So....what's next then...?"

"It just depends," Jarod said as he stood up. "It just depends on how we can prepare for what's coming."

* * *

**Two Hours until Mission Briefing**

Myk and Arie found Callista, and brought her to the spot in the forest where Xan’s small monument had been set down. Her eyes were red-lined and swollen from crying, though the tears had mostly dried at this point. Arie held her close as they walked the solemn path. She held her still as they stood before the site.

“He was a good man, Calli,” Myk finally spoke. “And, he loved you. He died to get us the information we’ll need. He died to give you a fighting chance. A man couldn’t ask for a better death.”

Callista nodded mutely, eyes fixed on the small monument to the fallen Mando. Arie hugged her closer still.

“You’ll be missed, Xan,” Myk spoke to the stone plinth; to Xan. “You leave behind a woman who loves you more than most. But, you needn’t worry. She’s strong. You taught her that. She’ll be okay, and you’ll live on in her memories and ours. We’ll see each other again. _Nu kyr'adyc, shi taab'echaaj'la._ ”

Callista knelt before the stone, put her fingers to her lips, and then touched the cold rock. Above the silence, she whispered words carried on the small breeze and into the Force itself. “I love you.”

Arie knelt beside her then. Her hair, still dyed, shone red in the afternoon sunlight streaming through the forest canopy. Wordlessly, moved not entirely of her own, she took Callista’s right hand in her left. The younger woman looked to Arie, and her lips formed the word “mother.” Arie’s presence in the Force blazed then, white fire dancing in her eyes. Dead leaves kicked up in a small whirlwind encircling the trio and the monument. Thoughts passing between them, the two stretched out their free hands toward each other. Between them, a small golden ball of pure force energy appeared. It was a miniature bubble shield, translucent and shimmering. It grew to the size of a child’s ball and floated between them. Then Arie’s eyes flashed, and within the floating orb a pure white flame sprang to life. It burned bright as a star and flickered inside the sphere, eternal. Turning to the stone plinth, the two moved the sphere to rest at its base. They stood and backed up to stand next to Myk, watching, awestruck at the scene playing out before him.

 _“The flame of this warrior shall never die, though his body has faded to memory,”_ Arie said, her voice tinged with the resonance of the Phoenix.

Then the wind died, and all three took a breath they hadn’t realized they’d been holding.

Myk-Ron wrapped both women up in a hug. “Let’s head back,” He said. “Give Jade a hand with cooking some dinner. And, we’ve got a proposition for you, Calli.”

Callista wiped the last tear from her eyes as the three began walking the wooded path back toward the Karrde estate. “Oh?” She arched an eyebrow.

“We’ve been tasked by Steffan to retake Coruscant,” Myk said without preamble. “We want you on our insertion team.”

“It’s not that simple, dear-heart,” Arie chided him. She turned to Callista. “We’re staging a coup to oust Maxell, and put me in his place. Steffan says he has the President angle covered, so it’s just that. We sneak onto Coruscant, slip into HQ and past security, find Maxell, then either coerce him to vacate willingly or supplant him forcefully. I assume control of the NR military, and we get the fleet mobilized for the defense of Cataan.”

“Tall order,” Callista said. “And, you want me on your insertion team?”

“Yes,” Myk answered. “It’s to be a bloodless coup. And, you’ve got skills we could use. Nik and Vince are already in, but we need a gentler touch to even out the…aggression.”

Arie rolled her eyes. “What he means to say is that you’re skilled at getting into places and not being seen or heard. Vince, Nik, and Myk are like Banthas in a crystal menagerie.”

Callista actually smiled. “Thanks for the ‘Dad-to-basic translation,’ Mom,” she said. They just cleared the edge of the forest and could see the estate and the mountains it nestled against. “Yes,” She said. “I’ll go with you. I need something to focus on; something to do.”

“There ya go,” Myk beamed. “We’ll finalize planning on the way. Meantime, I’m hungry.”

“You’re Myk,” Arie shrugged. “Isn’t that your default setting?”

“Well…yeah,” Myk said. “But, I’m…more hungry.”

“Ah, well, in that case,” Arie winked at Callista. “I’ll bet dish-duty Calli and I can beat you there!” On the last word, Arie took Callista by the hand and they both took off at a run. Myk was quick to run after them, yelling something about sneaky wives and daughters and being older than he looked.


	35. Chapter 35

**Cataan - Xan's Memorial**  
  
The soft sound of birds and other animals reached Sharon's ears as she wandered about the Karrde estate. After her initial briefing, there hadn't been much for her to do. She'd grabbed some breakfast a couple of hours ago, but that was eaten in silence. She could only imagine how Master Callista was feeling, but to her, there was a void in her heart. Xan may have officially been her teacher, but he'd become almost a father figure to her as well. It hurt more than she was willing to admit. At least he'd been able to get that info to them before he died.   
  
She sighed, the rustling of the leaves underfoot causing her to look up. She wandered into a small clearing. It only contained one thing. A small stone monument. She gasped as she took note of the various objects placed around it. The _netra'gal_... the _buy'ce_ resting on the top of the plinth. the miniature saber and _beskad_.... but what caught her attention was the soft steady glow of the force bubble at its base. Her eyes widened. Only a skilled Jedi could have created such a thing. her thoughts turned briefly to Master Arie and Master Callista. _Could they have?_ She found herself biting her lip to hold back tears as she gazed at it.  
  
"Been trying to figure it out for a while now," came the voice from behind her.  
  
Sharon started... but only slightly. "Hello, Ethan. I didn't see you there..."  
  
He nodded and looked at the bubble. "Trying to find some solace?"  
  
"Yeah...." she said softly, sitting back on her heels before she sank cross-legged to the ground. "It's... hard to believe he's gone. Both him and Master Callista... they have.... had become like parents to me..."  
  
"Trying myself," He said as he sat down next to her and sipped from a cup in his hand. "Hard for me too...another friend and comrade lost and this old warhorse is still here. Sometimes, I catch myself wondering why am I still able to be here...pretty sure you're thinking the same thing."  
  
She nodded, her gaze still on the softly glowing orb mere inches from her fingertips. "It just seems... unfair. Is that selfish of me to think like that...? If he hadn't gone, he'd still be here. But then, we probably wouldn't have the Intel we do..."  
  
"Can't go questioning all the 'what-ifs' and 'if-onlys'. You do that, it'll just eat you up inside. But hear me talk...I'm sure Marin feels the same way about Jarius...I know I sure do. He was a friend and comrade in more ways than one." He sipped his drink again. "Have you decided what you're going to do?"  
  
She sighed. "I just... I feel lost without him. I can only imagine what Master Callista is feeling..." She trailed off at his last question. "Part of me wants to go after his killers.. but we don't have the resources for that... nor time... He'd... mentioned something to me about wanting to recommend me for Trials... but I don't know what to do about that..." She sighed again. "I want to make sure that the information he did get is used to bring the empire down."  
  
"With the plans we're laying out, I'd say we have that well handled....or as much as we can. I'm not so sure how well Steffan's idea of turning things around on Coruscant is going to go. Even if they do go as planned, we're going to be in for a grand slugging match."  
  
She frowned. "And we are short on people to help... The Jedi are few now...." She pinched the bridge of her nose, heaving a sigh. "I'm just wondering how I can fit into all of this, and I'm coming up empty.."  
  
Ethan shrugged. "Well, I am no expert, but I'm pretty sure Karrde...and probably Xan for that matter, would tell you to trust the Force and let it guide you. Whatever that means and where ever it takes you. I'm pretty sure they'd tell you to follow your heart too." He sipped his caf in silence for a little while. "Me...I'd say tell me where they're gonna be and let my trigger finger do the talking."  
  
She nodded but was still frowning. "I.... feel there is much I can still offer to help with the current situation.." At his last comment, she smirked slightly. "Aye... I've been thinking similar lately.... but I don't know if that's my grief talking... or what.." She sounded frustrated.  
  
"You'll figure it out," he said with a smile.   
  
"Soon, I hope..." she whispered almost to herself as she reached out with one hand, holding it over the softly glowing orb at the base of the monument. There was no heat from it. But the flame within blazed tirelessly. She smiled slightly. It was if that flame represented his spirit. She blinked. Maybe that's what it was after all.  
  
"Come on," he said as he stood up and finished his cup. "We've got a mission briefing coming up."  
  
Sharyn groaned and pushed to her feet. "Master Karrde never did say what his team would be doing... I almost want to go with the team headed to Coruscant.."  
  
"I think that slot is being sought after already," Ethan said as they turned to the path that led from the clearing. "How much more Intel were you able to get from that disc?"  
  
She rubbed her forehead in thought. "Not as much as I'd like. And chances are high they know we got at least some data, so it may no longer be accurate. The only other thing I was able to find were a couple of specific targets. Coruscant-wise.... they're going for the Temple and the Senate. Cataan, looks like they're going for the shipyards.. and possibly a few other small targets." She scowled. "Their attack on Coruscant echoes the war fought before the Treaty of Coruscant. The Temple of those days was ruined after that.."  
  
Ethan just chuckled some. "At least _Kyr'tsad_ gave them some bad Intel. But we don't need to underestimate them either. J'oran was that bad at remembering some things."  
  
She smirked. "I suppose that works in our favor then....." She nodded. "If there's one thing I've learned about _Kyr'tsad_ during my time with Master Xan, its this: They may have an overabundance of manpower.... but some of them lack ... shall we say... mental clarity?"  
  
"Well, the shipyards are around Catain, the forest moon...not the planet," He told her. "But I'd be willing to bet they'll target the castle too. It wouldn't surprise me."  
  
"Aye, I did see mention of that as well... I wonder if that Cataani Admiral caught onto that as well.."  
  
"They already plan for it," Ethan said. "Everyone in the military knows that the royal family would be a primary target."  
  
She nodded. "I suppose we should be glad their Intel was not entirely accurate. Though.... they might well figure it out for themselves sooner or later." After a deep breath, she crouched over the small golden bubble as she reached out a hand to touch it. The Force swirled around her, causing her to grunt at the strength of it. She wasn't entirely sure what she was doing, but she channeled the energy to the small orb, watching it pulse a few times.  
  
Ethan just stood there and watched. He knew better than to try to figure out what was going on. This was beyond him.  
  
After a few moments, Sharon grunted and sat down rather heavily. It was a good thing she didn't have far to...fall. "I... don't know what I just did... but ...." She shook her head, her voice slightly awed.  
  
"Are you alright?"  
  
"I... think so. Took a bit more out of me than I thought it would." She stood slowly, rubbing her forehead."I may talk to Master Karrde about it later. I've never felt the Force that strong before.."  
  
Ethan nodded and helped her up. "He'd know a helluva lot better than me."  
  
She grinned at him. "We should get going... wouldn't want to be late for the briefing. I'll talk to him about it after."

* * *

 **Cataan - Mt. Adan forests**  
  
Catharine walked down one of the lesser-known paths around Mt. Adan. None of the students knew about it or where it led, but she and her siblings knew it well. It let to their own private area where they would get together to talk over things or just to spend some private time. This time around, it was a get-together.   
  
Ryneas was already there, his robes folded neatly on the rocks and himself actually under the waterfall in meditation. Dilan was there as well, but at the edge of the pool instead and Andrea had not arrived yet when she got there.   
  
“The cleansing ritual?” she asked as she looked over to her older brother in the water.   
  
“He’s been soaking for up to an hour in that cold water,” Dilan said as he looked over at her. “Needed it after beating me here.”   
  
“What?” she asked as she sat down on the rocks and traced one of them. The fact that her two brothers competed was no surprise to her. They had done it on such a consistent basis and she and Andrea were used to it by now. “What was it, a race from the mountain to here?”   
  
“And he even took the high road,” Dilan said with a grin. “Using just the trees and rocks and I don’t think he broke his stride but one time as he was running and jumping from limbs.”   
  
“You two are incorrigible,” Andrea said as she walked into the clearing and hugged Dilan and Catharine. “But I guess it keeps you two healthy, though I can’t help but imagine the looks Kara and Ereena give you.”   
  
“Keeps us out of trouble,” Ryneas said as he emerged from the waterfall and approached the rocks. He looked over to his siblings and could see the looks he had gotten. “What? I can’t do the ritual?”   
  
“Its usually done before a battle,” Andrea said, concern in her voice. “Just what are you planning to do?”   
  
“I’m going to ask to go with Master Dinn’s team,” he told them finally as he toweled off.   
  
“And go to Coruscant,” Catharine said, looking at him. “Into the second wolfhound’s den.”   
  
“I feel that that is where my place is. I think I can help there more.”   
  
“I knew you were going to ask that anyway,” Dilan told him as he stood up. “You’ve been taking on more and more ever since you and Jarod took that joint mission to his home. But why call all of us here just to tell us that, though, little brother?”   
  
Ryneas looked at him funny. “I didn’t call it.”   
  
Ryneas, Dilan, and Andrea looked around to each other until they settled their gazes on the youngest of the Karrdes. She finally sighed and nodded to them. “I asked for it. I needed everyone here.”   
  
“Wait a moment,” Andrea interrupted for a moment. “Is this about what I think it is? Applying for the Catain’s junior cadet program.”   
  
“Catain?” Dilan asked in total surprise and then looked to his little sister. “The military? But you were starting medical courses…why this?”   
  
“Yeah,” Ryneas asked, wanting to know the same question. “You’ve never mentioned this before.”   
  
“Like you have to ask me that?” Catharine said to the brothers. “I grew up hearing daddy’s stories just like you did. I stayed here while he went out protecting the galaxy, just like you did. And you three have done the same. It isn’t fair that I have been the one always staying behind.”   
  
“Catharine…” Andrea started to say.   
  
“It isn’t fair to _you_ ,” the youngest said to them, the look on her face telling them how hurt she was, “that I have been the one that has stayed home. I have enough sense of the Force that I can just get a sense of our family…my skill with a blade is never going to be to the level that yours are. I cannot do the things that you’re able to do.”   
  
She sighed and stood up, but Andrea met her and enveloped her into a hug. “Why didn’t you tell any of us this before?”   
  
“You three have always been protective of me,” Catharine said as she looked up. “You especially, sister, even if you didn’t realize it. I haven’t even talked to daddy about it yet. But it is what I want to do. I’ll still be taking my medical training, it's just I’ll be practicing with the fleet or on a base instead of the medical centers at home.”   
  
“And when are you going to talk to Dad?” Dilan asked as he walked up, lending his support.   
  
“Whenever I can get him alone for a moment from all these preparations he’s helping make.”   
  
“I think mom can help you with that,” Ryneas told her with a wink after he finished putting on his tunic and joined them. “If its what you want to do, sis. We’ve got your back. Always have.”   
  
“Always will,” Andrea added as they all got together. “Now, three bits says I can get back to the house before you two can.”   
  
Dilan and Ryneas were already back in the treeline leaving the girls behind.   
  
“Come on, guys,” Catharine yelled as she started to run after Andrea took off. “No Fair!”   
  


* * *

**C.S.S Valkyrie**

“Admiral…”   
  
Payne looked over from his command chair to the officer that had the watch at the communications station coming to the slightly raised platform of the bridge’s forward deck. He had a datapad in hand and the senior officer saw the pad was the kind that was used for eyes-only dispatches.   
  
“Just come in priority,” the junior said as he handed the datapad over. “Came direct from command, over the emergency encryption.”   
  
_That_ got Payne’s attention and he immediately entered his personal encryption code and started to read off the message. He thanked the officer and got up from his chair as he paced the forward deck for a few minutes. _Valkyrie_ ’s captain saw it and knew it wasn’t a good sign as he walked over from where he was looking over the patrol patterns of Wes Dannic’s squadrons.   
  
“Skip,” he said softly as he walked up. “What’s the word?”   
  
“You’ll know in just a moment,” Matther told him as he sighed and set himself for it. “Communications, bring up the ship-wide system and open up a channel to the fleet.”   
  
“Aye sir,” the junior officer said as Payne went to take hold of the announcement mic.   
  
“What’s the estimate on _Oso_ ’s engine?” Wes Dannic asked his crew chief. They were gathered around the Blackhawk Squadron’s designated area of the repair section of the hangar deck. Malin had reported unusual power surges in the port engine. It was enough that Wes ordered it looked into as soon as he returned to the ship.   
  
“It's the injector assembly on the reaction chamber,” the old hand said as he pointed out the spot on a schematic of the Nighthawk’s engine. “It's going to take the boys some time to get that pulled and checked out. If it calls for a replacement, it’ll take extra time to get it tuned in. Give or take, several hours…”   
  
“ _Now hear this_ ,” the announcement over the ship-wide system that cut the chief off. “ _Now hear this…all fleet personnel, standby for the admiral._ ”   
  
“Now what?” Wes asked as he turned his head a notch to listen for whatever Payne was fixing to say.   
  
“You’re on, admiral,” the junior officer told him as Payne took a breath.   
  
“To all personnel of the Second Fleet,” he said as he looked over the datapad. “I wanted to share a message that was received from command over the emergency channel a few moments ago. It is the opinion of the Joint Command, with intelligence obtained from our allies in the Jedi Order, that a combined effort is planning an attack on our home. The force is believed a massed group of Imperial forces along with a combination of enemies that are planning to strike at the heart of the Jedi. We do not know how much longer it will be before they arrive in the Cataani system…but they are coming to us first.”   
  
“That blows the lid,” the chief said as he looked at the schematics again.   
  
“ _My Lady…_ ” one of the other enlisted techs said. Wes looked around and saw others on the deck, officers and enlisted alike, with looks of disbelief along with other feelings.   
  
“By direct command of his majesty,” Payne’s voice called over the speakers, “All battlegroups have been ordered to return home for immediate planning and positioning to defend our home and, I quote, ‘teach the Empire what battle really means.’”   
  
Wes heard a battle cry from somewhere in the hangar. It wasn’t long before it was carried by others in the hangar. He didn’t know it because of the increasing volume, but others in the corridor that heard it started to give cries of their own. Slowly, it started spreading through out the ship. On the bridge, the crew held back, but Payne could hear it throughout the hull and could imagine the same was happening through out the fleet.   
  
“Sir,” the navigator said as he looked up from his console. “I have a course plotted and set for home. Laid in and ready to jump on your order sir,” the helm said as he looked up.   
  
“The group is reporting set and ready for hyperspace,” his communication’s officer called out.   
  
Payne smiled and couldn’t help himself. They all had the same thought that he did. “Prepare for jump in one minute.”   
  
Once everything had died down in the hangar, Wes looked over to where he had been talking with the chief. He looked up and had called out a few instructions for his techs before he looked over to the captain.   
  
“She’ll be ready to fly by the time we get back even if I have to push her myself. I’m working on her myself.”

* * *

 **Catain - Cataani Fleet Headquarters**  
  
“I appreciate you coming, Master Jedi,” Admiral Hollis said to Steffan Karrde as he greeted the Jedi Master in the inner corridor of the headquarters building.   
  
“Your message said you needed to meet with me over some important matters,” Steffan said as they started to walk down the corridor. He had gotten the request a short while ago while he was working on other details with Nib Cadre at the design offices on Catain’s shipyards. It hadn’t taken him long to finish up what he needed to do there before returning to the capital to meet with the admiral.   
  
“Several of our people in the operations area brought up a concern that I thought we needed to confer with you about,” Hollis told him as they approached a conference room. “I had Admiral Selleck arrive with a few ship captains to discuss this facility you found on Bastion.”  
  
“What type of ship?” Steffan started to ask as they entered the room and noticed that one of the officers in the room was Captain Jonathan Rightman… _Kure_ ’s commanding officer. “Ah…you’re thinking a strike using the _H’kana_ -class.”  
  
Hollis nodded as he introduced the rest in the room. “Admiral Selleck is our operations chief for the class. We decided to use the _H’kana_ and her sister-ships separate from the battlegroups, mainly providing recon and special ops missions. You know Captain Rightman, and this is Commander Sabella Edge…she’s our second experienced officer with the _H’kana_ -class.”  
  
“Commander,” Steffan said as he shook hands with her before he greeted Rightman.   
  
The dark-haired woman gazed at Steffan passively, though he would have sensed her curiosity. "Master Karrde. It is an honor to meet you." Her tone was softer than some but firm. She inclined her head slightly to him before saluting the Admiral. "Sir."  
  
"Have a seat, please," Hollis said to everyone as he moved to the head of the table and addressed the two captains first. "Right now, both your ships are in the process of being readied for deployment. I've asked Master Karrde here to join us and fill us in on how the layout and patrols looked at your target area."  
  
"Target area?" Rightman interjected.  
  
"Bastion," Hollis told them as he started to pull up the maps.  
  
Sabella frowned. "Admiral... won't splitting our forces weaken us a bit if the Empire intends to attack us here on Cataan?"  
  
"Its not a split of forces," Selleck told her. "This will only be a handful of H'kana-class ships on this."  
  
She nodded. "Understood, sir." There was a small pause. "What are our objectives once we reach Bastion, Sir..?"  
  
"You have the advantage no one else has," Hollis told them. "A cloaking system that no one can penetrate. Your objective," he continued as he highlighted an area on the planet's lower hemisphere, "is an installation discovered by the Jedi recently."  
  
"Wait a moment," Steffan said as he leaned forward. "No doubting our ships, but if they're able to get close enough...even with the standard load baradium torpedoes, the facility is deeper than that. Their weapons are designed for anti-ship."  
  
"We have a new design for ground penetration," Selleck told him. "With a higher-yield baradium warhead."  
  
Sabella’s eyebrows went up for a moment, and she traded a look with the Jedi Master. "Am I to understand you want us to take out this facility... completely, Sir..?"  
  
"This is new to me," Steffan said as he looked to Hollis and Selleck. "But, now that I know about it, it is something that needs to be done. With that facility still in existence, the Empire is still going to have a very dangerous weapon on their hands."  
  
"Admirals," Rightman joined in. "Even if we get close enough for a strike, any other method other than floating the torpedoes out of the tubes, we're going to be detected and then it's a fifty-fifty fight to get out."  
  
"I know it is an extremely high-risk mission," Hollis told them. "That's why I'm not ordering it. I need your input since you know what your ships can do."  
  
"We can't hold them off indefinitely, Sir.." Sabella's voice sounded almost pained. "Stealth and floating the torpedo notwithstanding.... It's going to be a hard push to get out. What Intel do we have on defense compliment for that installation..?"  
  
"There was at least the equivalent of a half-strength group around there," Steffan told them before he looked to Hollis. "Anything from intelligence on the group size they're throwing at us?"  
  
"Half-group is the optimal assumption at this point," the admiral said. "At the moment, it looks like they're throwing all of their effort against us at Cataan."  
  
Sabella thought on that news for a moment. "It will be close, but I think we can pull it off, Admiral.."  
  
"I'd like to send more than just the two of you," Selleck said as he leaned on the table. "But the rest of your sister-ships are scouting for the Imperial fleet. You two are it, so you're going to have to see to coordination."  
  
"Then I think we need to modify our torpedo compliment then," Rightman said. "Increase the amount of standard baradium warheads to give us more of an edge."  
  
"I agree with that assessment, Admiral." Sabella's tone was firm, and she gazed back at Hollis unwaveringly before looking back and forth between him and Steffan.

"Sounds like we have our work cut out for us, then.."


	36. Chapter 36

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _aliit_ \- family  
>  _alor'aan_ \- general (Arie)  
>  _cyar'ika_ \- sweetheart  
>  _mesh'la_ \- beautiful  
>  _te_ \- the

**Aboard the Werda**

Ethan walked onboard his old _Firespray_ and started towards his arms storage to start putting a pack together. He had his fatigues on and made sure his carbine, assault vest and armor panels were in the pack as he started adding other weapons and tools into it. He looked up and saw Callista walking into the corridor from the room he had let her sleep in as he continued putting items together. 

"Sleep ok?" he asked as he kept focused on his task.

Callista grunted and scrubbed at her face for a moment before she blinked up at him. "Alright, I suppose." She was quiet for a few moments, her gaze wandering to the open hatch. If Ethan were Jedi, he would have sensed her thoughts turn to Xan. _Shassa_ , it still felt like a burning blade was being driven into her heart every time she thought of him.

He saw her look towards the hatch and nodded softly. "It doesn't get easier..."

A soft sigh was her only answer as she leaned on the bulkhead behind her. "I just..." Her fingers clenched briefly, and she shook her head. Revenge wouldn't bring him back... She'd learned that lesson the hard way. Many years ago.

"I say it doesn't," he told her as he continued to check the items he was putting together. "I helped Jarius work it out for a while...were he here, he could tell you much more than I could." Thinking of his friend, he sighed heavily and leaned on the table his pack was on.

She closed her eyes for a moment, her left hand moving to rest on his arm for a moment. She felt.... and saw his pain from Jarius' death. She knew Marin's too.

He looked up at her. "I take it you're still planning to go with this group to Coruscant."

She nodded and sighed softly. "Aye. Myk asked me specifically." She paused. "It will give me something to do."

"I'm coming along." He said as he checked the last items he packed.

She opened her mouth and then raised an eyebrow at him. "You'll have to talk to Myk on that one. It's his call. Though, I don't see as he would mind an extra pair of hands or two... I assume you're bringing Marin also?"

"She'll be along...and he has no say," he told her as he closed the pack. "I need to be close if something happens and you relapse."

She raised an eyebrow at him... almost in a challenge. "He might have something to say about that...."

"We'll see about that when it comes," Ethan said as he looked at her. "I'd rather be around to support if you need it."

Callista frowned slightly, turning his words over in her mind. "You think he won't be able to....?" She was honestly curious and hoped her question didn't offend.

He looked at her. "I don't see where else I'm going to be most good at in this. What's going to be happening here is largely a space battle...my talents might be better served there. Unless you just don't want me going along..."

She lifted a hand to silence him. "I didn't mean it like that. You're right about your skills being ill-suited for the fleet battle. _Shab_ , I can fly a fighter myself, but that's not my main skillset. I'm honestly a little curious why he'd want me along on an intel mission. While I know a bit about that type of thing... that's more Marin's, Sharon's, or...Xa...." she trailed off and sighed as she looked away.

On impulse, he put an arm around her. "I know...I know..."

Callista bit her lip, closing her eyes for a moment. " _Ni ceta_..... Still hard to believe he's gone......"

"Nothing for you to apologize for," he told her as he kept an arm around her. "Nobody can expect to get through something such as that in a few days time."

She sighed. "It's so hard..." she whispered. "There's still a small part of me that wants to find out what really happened... but I know the motivation for that isn't going to lead to a good place..."

"Master Karrde told you of the last moments he saw...”

She nodded. "Aye.... and I felt it as well. He fought well and died a warrior. His only thought was for their safety. That, to me is the core of being both _Jetiise_ and _Mando'ad_..." She frowned. "I... almost feel selfish for wishing he was still alive.."

"That's not selfish," Ethan told her. "That's being human."

She looked troubled, for his words jarred something in her memory that Arie had told her many years ago. "Maybe I'm holding onto it too much....." She grunted and leaned her head back, staring at the ceiling

"You can't let emotion take hold, yes," He told her as he went back to the table and then turned to close the arms locker. "But, as Steffan Karrde would say, you are not devoid of it either. You let go of them...but only to an extent. If you let them fade entirely, then how much importance did they really have in your life?"

She nodded. "Exactly. How can we be compassionate to others if we ourselves do not experience emotion...?"

Ethan just looked over at her and smiled. "Besides...he's not really gone."

She chuckled a bit. "I know. it's just hard to remember that sometimes. I can feel him near sometimes, but it's like there is a distance between us...."

He walked back over to the table and looked at her for a long moment. "You'll be alright...I can tell."

She tilted her head slightly and looked at him, a slight grin tugging at the corner of her mouth. "You seem rather certain of that…"

"I may not have the ability you do in the Force," he told her as he kept looking. "But I've gotten pretty good at reading people."

She leaned back against the bulkhead again, the metal cool against her shoulders. "So I noticed between you and Marin after Jarius passed." She paused. "This op of Myk's is pretty straightforward. There shouldn't be too much combat if we do it right, but it's always better to be prepared for anything."

"I've already heard that Karrde's youngest is wanting to go...I've seen that boy move, he's better at stealth than even Marin. If he can fight like he can sneak, he'll be a good asset to have. Marin'll be along, so I'd just about wager that one she's in love with will petition to come along." He laughed for a moment. "That boy and Karrde's feel good about their abilities after that jaunt they went on. But I see them not take pride in it too...good for them."

She smiled slightly. "They're confident... not cocky. That's a good thing. And I think having Jarod along will be good for Marin. I know she's been restless while everyone else goes out on missions."

"Restlessness is something she needs to weed out real quick," Ethan said as he checked weapons. "Doesn't really do any good....but I'm not really one to talk about it."

Callista frowned at him slightly but didn't press for details. "I don't think it's...jealousy. More, I think she feels a bit.... useless." She shrugged a little, hopping up to sit on the edge of the table and let her feet dangle. "I can identify with what she's feeling."

"Good thing I'm along then," he said with a chuckle and a grin. "Someone on this team needs a level head. I'm just along for the fight."

She tilted her head at him. "Marin's good, but she hasn't had much chance to use her skills outside of training... I think she needs the experience."

"She's going to get it if Coruscant is as covered over with enemies that I think it might be."

Callista chuckled. "I'm still trying to figure why _buir_ wanted me along..." she said almost to herself.

"Simple...keep you busy."

"I suppose.." she allowed. "But as I said, I'm more Healer than spy type.."

"Also pretty handy with those lightsabers too, from what I've heard."

She blushed slightly. "Sometimes, though _Buir_ still can kick my shebs from one side of Mt. Adan to the other.."

"Well, he has the advantage of experience and training for a lot longer than you were. Some Cataani train with the blade from the moment they can hold it...Steffan's father being a retainer, you can bet he started early."

"Aye..." She paused. "I didn't start working with a blade until I was ten or eleven myself.."

He smiled at her. "We're all going to be needed for this one." He looked at her for a long moment again. "Anything you need from here to take along?"

She frowned for a moment, taking a mental inventory. "I gathered a medical bag before we left the house..." She glanced at him. "Could you spare a knife or two? It's always good to have a backup defense when sabers don't work..."

He pointed to a small cabinet. "Take your pick."

She grinned at him over her shoulder for a moment. And for the briefest of instances, he caught a glimpse of her true nature... not this brooding that she was dealing with right now, but her fierce determination to do her best to help those in need. _Much like Xan....._

He grinned and secured his pack. "Come on, that hotshot is probably waiting for us."

* * *

**Cataan Forests**

Marin lay with her back in the leaves. The breeze across her skin was cool. But, what Jarod was doing sent a tingle down her spine. She gasped as his warm lips grazed her exposed collarbone.

Jarod placed several more along her collarbone before he looked up at her with a warm smile. "Its good to be 'home'," he said softly as he traced his fingers along her cheek.

Marin's answer was to pull him close for a deep kiss, her cool fingers tracing his shoulder for a moment before they broke apart. "I'm glad you came back safely..." Her voice was slightly rough. Her fatigue jacket lay discarded in the leaves a few feet away, and her normally neat braid was rather disheveled. Her plain shirt had been pushed up slightly, and she sucked in a breath as he traced the bare skin beneath.

The robe of his attire was set off to the side next to her jacket, his vest and outer kimono not far from it. He kept tracing her lightly as he looked into her eyes more. "You're going to go with them." he said quietly...it hadn't been a question.

She closed her eyes briefly, her fingers closing over his as she nodded. "I am. _Et'ika_ said I'm to come along. Master _Cal'ika_ is going as well..." She looked up at him. "You want to go too.." She gave him a rather searching look.

"And let you walk into that wolfhound's den without me?" he asked her as he leaned down to kiss her. "What kind of person would I be if I did that.?"

She chuckled, but it was a bit lost in his kiss that followed. "Exactly. Though, I think you'd have to talk to Master Myk-ron for permission. Something tells me _Et'ika_...'invited' himself..."

"I'm sure they'd appreciate another person that won't be in the way," he said as he traced up her sides.

She raised an eyebrow. "How do you mean...?"

"Well, I'm not exactly a novice to some of this stuff now."

She nodded, though her thoughts wandered slightly as his touch did. "I still feel like I am.."

"I think that's why you're going," he told her. "I'll be right there too."

She sighed a bit. "I almost feel.... like they're trying to protect me too much. How am I to learn like that..?"

"Well, you weren't exactly in a condition to fight in the last one," Jarod said as he nodded towards her arm before placing a few kisses along it.

She almost gave him a look at the mention of it, but his kisses distracted her. "It's better now, though..."

"Aye.."

The touch of his lips against her skin left her slightly breathless. "I... think we would work well... together.." she managed to say, trying to get back to the topic.

"Am I distracting you, Marin?" he asked as he looked up at her.

"A little..." she admitted after a pause.

"Good," Jarod said as he smile warmly. "We can talk of what's coming later..."

* * *

**Aboard the _Werda_**

It was as she was stowing her gear that she felt a familiar presence nearby. She'd felt it before, but only fleeting. As if the individual was just looking in on her. But now, if felt... so near... She finished putting her gear up, and turned slowly, feeling him ... _right behind her._ What she saw when she turned around caused her to gasp and swear softly. "X...Xan...?" she breathed, her voice shaking slightly. His form coalesced in front of her, and her eyes widened. He looked much the same as he had when she'd seen him last. his deep red and black beskar'gam was unmarked... at least as much as it had been.   
  
His form was surrounded by a soft silver-white glow, and her breath caught in her throat as a glowing hand reached out to wipe the sudden tears from her cheek. _"Don't act so surprised, cyar'ika.."_ Xan's voice echoed slightly in the Force... in her thoughts. She flushed slightly as he continued. _"You know well that some Jedi chose to remain in this form. Their bodies may merge with the Force, but their essence.. it merges, yet still remains separate for as long as they wish it."_ She nodded, unable to tear her gaze from his face.   
  
His fingers gently traced her cheek before he sighed and looked at her. _"Cal'ika... I know how it... pains you... angers you... about what happened to me. You have to remember... I am with you always. As I have been, and always shall be. Do not mourn for me, cyar'ika. Celebrate me, and honor me. I made the only choice I could, and I am glad of it."_ He grew silent for a few heartbeats. _"It hurts to see you like this, cyar'ika. What te Alor'aan and you did at the memorial... that was... mesh'la.."_ His voice grew wistful for a moment as he remembered.   
  
_"Remember me, my love... but do not push your aliit away. They care deeply for you. As I do. They love you, and support you. And, I think.... they would lay down their lives for you if necessary."_ He brushed her cheek again. _"You are stronger than this, cyar'ika. I know it hurts. Be strong for me, and help bring those chakaare to justice.. Not just for me... but for Mar'ika... for Jarius... For all those who have been lost to this war."_ She nodded, her vision blurring slightly as his ghostly touch sent a shiver through her. He looked away briefly. _"I will always be with you, cyar'ika..."_ And as he began to fade, two words floated in her mind. _"_ _ **Remember me...**_ _"_  
  
She blinked a few times to clear some fresh tears, and when she looked up again, he was gone. But his presence wasn't It was still there... lingering, watching. She smiled a bit and sat back on the bunk in the spare quarters, reaching out to Myk and Arie.


	37. Chapter 37

**Aboard the _Firebird_**

“You’re sure about this?” Arie asked for the - well she’d lost count of how many times she’d posed that question now. She and Myk were in the captain’s quarters aboard the _Firebird_. Myk rested easily on the bed, his booted feet hanging over the edge of the bed, his back to the wall. Arie zipped up the front of her flak vest, checked herself in the mirror and turned to face the Rogue.  
  
“By the stars! You’re sexy,” Myk whistled. “You could shoot me, and I’d thank you for your attention. And, yes, I’m sure.”  
  
Arie blushed, shook her head, and fixed Myk with a mock-glare, “Don’t muddle the subject with flattery, nerfherder-” She started.  
  
Myk raised his hands in surrender, “Completely involuntary, Princess. If you could see your own backside in those blaze pants, you’d understand.”  
  
Arie looked over her shoulder at the full-length mirror and tried to suppress a self-satisfied grin. _Damn, girl_ , she thought to herself before turning back to her husband. “You’re forgiven,” she said. “Now, why are you suddenly okay with sitting on the sidelines for an op.?”  
  
Myk-Ron grinned. “Well, someone does need to stay with the ‘ _Bird_ to keep an eye on Evelina,” He said. “Also, I may be just a little too tempted to jack Maxell in the jaw if I see him. For this particular op., that may not be the best of things to do. And, you’ll need someone you trust as your eyes on this. It’s a fast insertion, requiring a lot of stealth, great timing, and precision. You’ll do better with me somewhere I can see everything going on, and in a position to blast an escape route if needed.”  
  
“Okay,” Arie shrugged as she checked the blasters at each hip and the one under her arm. Her lightsaber clipped into a specially made quick-release on the right gun holster. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and dyed back to its natural auburn sheen. She wore a matte-black mil-spec flak vest over a dark blue synthskin shirt. Her legs were covered in matte-black blaze pants with cortosis and durasteel plates sewn into key positions. Her boots tied up to just below her knees. All her gear checked out, and she had to admit it felt incredibly good to be gearing up for a fight.  
  
“You don’t have to look so smug about it,” Myk threw a pillow at his wife.  
  
“Oh, shush,” Arie tossed it back at the Rogue. “I’m going to check on the crew. Shouldn’t you be running a systems check or something?”  
  
“Yeah, yeah,” Myk sighed as he stood and crossed the small compartment. “So many people on the ‘ _Bird_ , it’s an adventure just getting to the cockpit."

* * *

The cargo hold had been quickly retro-fitted as bunk and crew quarters to account for the extra hands on deck. Crash-web seating folded down from the walls near the cargo ramp. Bunks had been set up, and magnetically affixed to the plate decking along the curved outer wall. That left ample room in the center of the hold for some light sparring, meditation; whatever the crew would need.  
  
Ryneas pulled up his boots and made sure they were securely fastened. He was covered head to foot in matte black combat gear recently recovered from just one of the many hidden compartments on this ancient light freighter. He didn’t need to know the why, how, or where Master Dinn had acquired a dozen mil-spec combat suits that he was pretty sure pre-dated the Vong invasion. But, from the moment he stepped aboard the aged ship, he felt as though he’d been transported through time, and his curiosity was warring with his need to clear his mind.  
  
He stood and crossed to the center of the hold, rolling his neck and shoulders, feeling the fit of the combat suit. It stretched in all the right places, had plates covering his vitals, and enough pockets to house anything a spec-ops soldier might need. Then there was the utility harness strapped for any occasion. It had attachment points for nearly anything ranging from holsters and ammo pouches to rappelling and parachute chord, and it was easy to reconfigure. His lightsaber clipped neatly into a quick-release strap running horizontally along his belt-line at his back; much like the old stormtrooper grenade canisters from the Empire’s hey-day. He’d taken a sidearm from the impressive armory aboard the ship as well. Like everything else on the rugged freighter, the blaster was from a time long gone, but well-maintained and highly functional. It was an old DT-12 with a wooden inlay in the slightly over-sized grip to accommodate the tear-resistant and partially armored gloves that accompanied the combat suit. Ryneas checked the blaster again, making sure it was set to stun and holstered the weapon in the shoulder strap under his left arm.  
  
“You look like you just stepped out of a Rebellion-era history holo,” Ethan said as he entered the hold, and plopped down on a crate near the wall. He wore his full beskar'gam minus his helmet which currently rested in the crash-web seat he’d chosen for himself near the loading ramp. He reached behind his back and produced an equally old DXR6 Blaster Carbine. From a side pouch, he produced his cleaning kit. With meticulous care, he began to field-strip and clean the weapon.  
  
Ryneas nodded at the carbine. “Says the guy whose gun is older than he is.”  
  
Ethan shrugged. “How’s that combat suit feel?”  
  
“Great, actually,” Ryneas said as he stretched out.  
  
“Hard to improve upon perfection.”  
  
“Point.”  
  
Finished stretching, Ryneas took a loose boxer’s stance, closed his eyes, and tried to calm his mind. He drew upon the wellspring of the Force as he slowly began to move through an unarmed kata. This being a bloodless coup, he wanted to make sure he was prepared for hand-to-hand combat. A stun-bolt would drop a guard pretty quickly, but a stun bolt was also noisy and bright. It was definitely not the stealthiest of take-downs.  
  
As he continued through the kata, he fell deeper into the river of the Force. Eyes still closed he became intensely aware of all aboard the _Firebird_. He could feel Ethan’s cool resolve with him in the cargo hold. He could feel Marin trying to conceal her excitement at being on a mission with the Masters Dinn and nearly the entire Rogues Crew as she made her own way to the cargo hold.   
  
Having served at Rhen Var and then Msst alongside Master Myk-Ron, Ryneas was a bit more…subdued. He would admit later that he was interested to be running alongside Master Arie, though.   
  
He could feel Master Callista’s calm and admired her ability to control her grief and rage so completely. But, then, they don’t make just anyone a Master. In his mind’s eye, he could “see” her in the guest quarters checking her own borrowed gear. She must have sensed his presence then because it felt like she was looking right back at him.   
  
Ryneas stumbled then, caught off-guard. Ethan chuckled a bit and continued to clean his carbine. Marin made a show of inspecting one of her throwing knives, pretending she hadn’t just seen a Praxeum instructor fumble a kata they’d drilled a million times. Ryneas reset his feet, took a calming breath, and resumed his kata. As he fell back into the Force, he could almost feel Master Callista’s amusement, but he steered his consciousness elsewhere.  
  
In the Captain’s quarters, he felt the Force open up as though he’d been in a stream that suddenly dumped into a bottomless ocean. It was beautiful and terrifying. It felt as though the Force lived there, and Ryneas nearly became lost to its majesty and pull. It was expansive as space itself, and, at its heart, there played a star. At first, he thought it must be one of the Masters Dinn, but the outlying sense was wrong. There was innocence there, complete innocence, and a playfulness that enveloped him. Belatedly, he came to realize it was Evelina he was sensing, and she was merely playing the cup and ball game he’d seen Master Arie and her playing occasionally. Except, this time, Evelina was playing on her own, and she had six cups, three balls, and twelve blocks all moving at once and independently. He tore himself away then, his kata winding down.   
  
He hadn’t sensed the Masters Dinn, but he seldom could unless they wanted to be known. Neither could he sense the mercenaries Nik-Yar Randar and Vincint Rane. They trailed the _Firebird_ through hyperspace in their respective ships; Nik’s insanely modified Lambda-class shuttle, _The Phantom_ , and Vincint’s equally modified Firespray, _The Dragon_.  
  
 _Rogues,_ Ryneas thought. It was impressive, the way they seemed to melt into the very flow of the Force. But, the moral ambiguity and chaos…Well, to each their own, but Ryneas preferred a clearer line between right and wrong.  
  
His kata finished, Ryneas opened his eyes. Ethan was just slinging his carbine back into place and putting his cleaning supplies away. Marin’s eyes were on the entrance to the cargo hold from the interior ring of the starship. Ryneas tracked her sight-line, the bowed slightly as Arie Dinn entered the hold. She was positively striking in dark blue and black. Her physical age and tremendous beauty often caught him off-guard. He was rather proud that he didn’t feel his cheeks warm as she strode into the room. Beneath the youthful surface were decades upon decades of experience and wisdom. She and her husband were anomalies creating anomalies within the galaxy. What made the whole situation even stranger for him was how…nice they were; how normal they seemed. He was glad his family and theirs were so close.  
  
Coming in behind Arie was Master Callista, who wore much the same as Arie except in deep purple and black as opposed to blue. She winked at Ryneas, and nodded to Ethan and Marin.  
  
“Okay, Crew,” Arie said. With a completely effortless motion of her hand, a large crate slid into the center of the room. On top of this, she set a datapad and a small holoprojector. “We’re two hours from insertion. Let’s run down the plan once more.”  
  
Everyone huddled around the crate as Arie ran down the specifics of their mission. Ryneas had fought in wars, _plural_. He’d flown starfighters in dogfights. He’d fought saber to saber on the frigid cliffs of Rhen Var and in the foggy swamps of Msst. He’d been on rescue missions into hostile territory. He’d been on solo stealth missions to extract powerful targets. But, this…he’d never done anything like this before.

* * *

**Cataan**

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Myk had said, clasping Steffan’s arm.  
  
“As do I,” The Jedi Grand Master had a hardness to his eyes that Myk hadn’t seen before, and it didn’t take an affinity with the Force to read what lay beneath the surface.  
  
“Don’t worry, Steffan,” Myk had put on his best roguish grin. “The bastards’ feet won’t even touch the soil.”  
  
“Yes, they will,” Steffan’s gaze shifted to the sky. “But, they’ll not leave it once they do.”  
  
That was nearly a day ago, as Myk had stood outside the _Firebird_ waiting for everyone to get on board. Yet, the words still rang hard in his head as he stared out the forward viewport and into the mottled sky of hyperspace. The Rogue checked the shipboard chrono. One hour until arrival and insertion. Arie would be in the back, getting strapped in with the rest of the Ground Crew. Evelina, giddy as ever, sat in her mother’s usual spot at the copilot’s station. Myk winked at his little girl. “Ready to save the galaxy, Little Princess?”  
  
Evelina rolled her eyes. “Daddy, you’re so dramatic sometimes.” 

* * *

**Coruscant**

It was, all told, an incredibly boring job. In school, he’d had dreams of conducting great starships and space cruisers in a beautiful symphony of motion within the clouds of the galaxy’s most magnificent planet. In reality, he was a glorified traffic cop, monitoring lines on a computer screen, and making sure the dots on that same screen stayed on those lines. He rarely even looked at the sky anymore despite the fact that his station was along the wall of transparisteel that lined the Space Traffic Control tower in which he worked.  
  
So it was only to be expected that he’d missed the barely visible static blips coming down the gravity well behind a brighter, steadier blip currently tagged as an ancient YT-2000 called _Menacing Mynock_. It was only natural that when his station began blaring a full alert that he’d spilled hot caf in his lap, startled into motion. It was completely excusable then, that he had stood and tried desperately to shake his pants dry while staring out the viewscreen as the YT was being chased by an equally ancient lambda-class shuttle and _Firespray_ blastboat instead of sounding the general alarm like he should have. The ships had flown so close to the tower that he swore he could see the seams in the hull plating. _They’ll buy that_ , Ensign Jackson said to himself. _It’s really not my fault._  
  
So it was that a full three minutes passed before the general alarm was sounded, and the report was sent that there were hostile ships in Coruscant airspace heading for the Senate District.

* * *

“Mayday! Mayday!” Myk-Ron tried to sound genuinely frightened on the opencom. “This is the _Menacing Mynock_! I don’t know how they followed us, but we’ve got two pirates on our tails trying to shoot us down! Help!”  
  
He banked the _Firebird_ around one of the myriad spires jutting up from this section of the city world. Nik and Vince were doing a fine job of keeping on his tail, and presenting hostile without needing to fire a shot. Myk-Ron grinned and swooped down toward an S.T.C. tower, bringing the ‘ _Bird_ in close enough to rattle the windows. Evelina, in the copilot’s chair, gripped the arms tightly but wore a smile from ear to ear.  
  
Myk had the joint military HQ tagged on the rapidly expanding and changing topographical overlay map displayed on the console near his H.U.D. It was a red-outlined structure amidst a veritable spiderweb of green wireframe buildings, spires, towers, skywalks, and speeder lanes. He flipped the ‘ _Bird_ onto her side and slipped between two skyscrapers. He saw Nik and Vince peel off to either side before course-correcting on the other side of the building, and hopping back on his tail. Their ships were blue dots on the map trailing his green icon. Soon enough, though, Myk-Ron saw dozens of red blips emerging from speeder lanes and hidden hangar bays along their crazy route through the Senate District.  
  
Trusting the Force to guide his hands as he wove a suicidal path through the durasteel jungle of Coruscant, Myk-Ron stretched out to the two Rogues on his tail. Concentrating, he projected a simplified image of the map and the many red dots converging upon their positions. He then sent the mental equivalent of a salute and good luck.   
  
He dropped the ‘ _Bird_ to skim just above the tops of the buildings as he neared the joint military HQ, and began counting in his head. _Three…two…now_!  
  
A low-power laser burst from Nik’s _Phantom_ caught the _Firebird_ in the rear quadrant just above the cargo ramp. The pirate’s precise shot triggered a hidden piece of pyrotechnic machinery hidden just below the plating. A massive explosion of sparks spewed forth, followed by an equally huge plume of thick black smoke. Myk put a good wobble into his flight profile and dropped his speed as they flew directly over HQ. From the rear of the ship, he could just hear the rushing wind as the cargo ramp lowered into position. Myk dropped the ‘ _Bird_ a bit lower and slower, and held his breath.  
  
 _Down and safe, Nerfhearder_. Arie’s voice filled his mind with a sense that she was rolling her eyes. Myk-Ron grinned, and kicked his ship into a rolling loop that soon had him nose down and plunging into the depths of Coruscant’s undercity.   
  
When above him there was naught but the undersides of taller structures, Myk-Ron flipped a switch on his console sending another piece of pyrotechnic trickery sailing out from the stern of the _Firebird_. There was a bright flash, the sound of thunder, and a roiling cloud of smoke effectively enveloping the ship. Guided by the Force, and decades of experience behind the stick, Myk piloted his freighter blind through support girders and structural beams until he managed to park her in a little-used maintenance bay five hundred stories below the Joint Military HQ.  
  
He put the engines on standby and shut down all unnecessary systems before lowering the personnel ramp. “Your cue,” He spoke into the shipboard intercom. He was answered by two clicks on his headset communicator as Ethan and Marin exited the ship, and began their short, but treacherous journey to the NR armory.  
  
Hands moving deftly across his control board, Myk-Ron sliced into HQ security, and, in a few minutes more had an overlay map of HQ and access to security cams throughout the massive complex displayed on his forward viewports.   
  
Evelina was visibly bouncing in her seat next to him. “Let’s do that again!”

* * *

“This is it!” Arie called over the howling winds.  
  
She, Ryneas, and Callista stood ready at the opened cargo ramp, waiting for the signal to jump. Seconds later, there was a small explosion and a billowing smoke trail coming from just above the ramp. She felt the ship wobble, drop, and slow to something just above suicidal. She started a count in her head, and placed a hand on Callista and Ryneas, moving to the edge of the ramp. _Three…two…now!_  
  
Arie dived free of the speeding freighter with Ryneas and Callista to either side. Below, the rooftop of the Joint NR Military HQ rapidly approached. Arie flipped over in free fall to point her booted feet toward the roof and drew deeply on the force. To her left and right, she could feel Calli and Ryneas doing the same. Just before impact, she threw both hands forward and pushed. The counter exertion of the Force against her fall slowed and softened the impact significantly. Instead of liquefying on contact with the permacrete and durasteel of the rooftop, her feet hit hard, and she rolled with the impact, coming up into a run toward a very startled guard. He’d barely had time to react before Arie drew her sidearm and put three stun bolts into his chest.  
  
The guard slumped next to the personnel rooftop access hatch that was his station, and Arie searched his pockets for his passkey. Calli and Ryneas took up positions to either side of the hatch. Arie could feel Myk’s worry, and she watched the _Firebird_ hesitate slightly near the edge of the HQ rooftop. She smiled for a second, shaking her head. _Down and safe, nerfherder_ , she sent him. Then she watched as the ‘ _Bird_ , trailing a huge plume of black smoke, inverted and dived down the duracrete canyon next to the HQ building.  
  
Ryneas had the unconscious guard’s glove off and his hand poised over the scanner. Arie nodded once to the young man, and slid the procured keycard into the appropriate slot while Ryneas pressed the limp hand to the scanner. There was the slightest hesitation before the indicator lights on the panel next to the hatch changed to green, and the sound of the bolts within the door alerted the group that it was unlocked. Callista opened the door with Arie providing cover while Ryneas moved the guard to a sitting position against the door-frame as though he were just sleeping on the job.  
  
Once all three were inside, the door closed behind them and plunged them into relative darkness. Callista let out an audible breath. She’d been using the Force to hide their presence from the security holocam outside, causing a five-second loop of the lone guard shuffling his feet to replay for the entire minute they’d taken since making the drop. It was a serious effort, and Arie could tell Calli was a little winded. But, in a second’s time, Callista straightened, nodded to Arie and began trotting down the access hallway. Arie grinned and followed.

* * *

She felt a little giddy, if she were being honest with herself about the situation. She clenched onto the crash webbing, sitting across from Ethan in the rear of the ancient ship. She wore an equally antiquated set of combat armor, gleaned from a hidden storage compartment onboard. Marin had no idea why Master Myk-Ron would have a set of armor aboard the ship that had clearly been designed for a teenage girl. Marin had the sense that it had belonged to someone a long time ago, and could almost feel a sense of nostalgia from Master Myk as he popped open the old storage unit.  
  
It was just a little snug around the chest but was easily adjusted. The whole ensemble was done in matte black and came with a pretty sophisticated helmet for as old as it was. It took only a few minutes to reprogram the onboard computer to sync with Ethan’s more advanced system. She had a map of the complex they’d be “assaulting” up on her H.U.D. along with a mission timer and other pertinent information. And, she could smell the faintest hint of perfume. Whoever had owned this armor in the past was very much in touch with her feminine side. The scent reminded Marin of the air in the mountains around the Praxeum with just a hint of some exotic fruit thrown into the mix. She wasn’t much into girly things but had to admit it beat the pants off the usual old sweat and blood smell she had grown to associate with armor of any kind.  
  
At that moment the ship lurched as though hit by incoming fire. That was the first signal. With the slightest of groans, the cargo ramp began to lower. Marin looked to her right as Masters Arie and Callista rose from their seats, Ryneas joining them at the edge of the ramp. The wind howled, and Marin could see a large plume of black smoke trailing out the back of the firebird just above the cargo ramp. The freighter slowed, imperceptibly, and dropped altitude. Marin could feel the sensation in her stomach despite the inertial compensators.  
  
And then, they jumped. The three of them dived out the back of a low-flying starship without parachutes or repulsor tech. They just went. She couldn’t help but be awed by the pure skill one would need to not simply liquefy upon contact with the surface ten meters below. But, as she stretched out her senses, she could tell. Not one of them was worried. Not one of them even appeared very concerned. As the _Firebird_ leveled out and headed for its next course adjustment, Marin could see the three hit the roof, roll, and come up running. She let loose a small whistle as the ramp groaned again, and shut itself.  
  
“You’ll be that good soon enough,” Ethan nodded from across the way.“Keep up your training, and you’ll be something else entirely.”  
  
Marin just nodded in reply. She found herself wondering if the Mando wasn’t a little Force-sensitive, and just didn’t know it. More likely, though, he was just exceptionally good at reading people.  
  
She felt her stomach try to rise into her throat again as Master Myk piloted the ancient ship over the edge of the military HQ, and deep into Coruscant’s underworld. Marin and Ethan would be departing soon, to stage a mock assault on a military armory not far from HQ. She ran through a mental checklist as she checked all her weapons. She took a calming breath and prepared herself.  
  
After a heartbeat, Master Myk-Ron’s voice came over the ship’s intercom as the engines whined down. “Your cue,” he said, and the cargo ramp lowered, revealing the dark and dank underworks of the Senate District. Their target was several blocks north and as many stories up. Ethan had his jetpack, and Marin had the Force.  
  
Ethan slammed the bolt on his carbine into place, stood, and gave Marin the slightest of nods. She imagined she could see his smile behind his helmet. She stood and strode down the ramp with him, her HUD already working out the quickest route to her objective and overlaying the map with a faint green line suggesting her path. “Let’s be bad guys,” Ethan said, kicking in his jet back. Marin grinned then, and with a boost from the Force leaped after him.


	38. Chapter 38

_Nothing must go wrong at this point..._  
  
That was what Maxell told himself as he finished talking to the ones who had been tasked with investigating the incident on the roof days ago. Their amnesia had come as no surprise, he had seen the footage from long distance cameras. With careful zooming and analysis, he knew it was a Jedi that had ambushed them and recognized Ryneas Karrde's face immediately. He had showed the team the footage and they showed determination to redeem themselves, so Maxell stationed them outside as he sequestered himself in his office and started to read over the reports he'd just gotten from Intel and from some of his own informers.   
  
_The Empire is moving,_ he told himself as he read over everything. _Cataan has strengthened their force...enough to give them an even fight...but the Empire have their reserve fleet standing by in Hutt Space. A perfect pincer move. The only thing that would even the scales again would be intervention by the Republic...  
_  
He chuckled to himself as he continued reading.

* * *

Ethan peered around the corner with a small periscope. They were far enough down the corridor that the tip wasn't noticed. He pulled it back and looked over to Marin and held up two fingers.   
  
Her eyes narrowed behind her helmet visor as she flattened herself against the wall, and reached out in the force. The sound of something falling off the desk distracted the first guard for a few moments. She gestured to Ethan as she slipped away from the wall, pushing the other guard towards the wall as she tried to knock her own target unconscious as her leap brought her down next to him.   
  
Ethan looked over the guard he put down and pulled the keycard from the man's belt and started to slide it into the card reader...then hesitated. Quickly, he looked to Marin. "Anything setting your senses off?"   
  
Marin frowned and held a finger up for a moment. There was a ..tingle at the base of her skull, but nothing was setting her senses on alert. " _Nayc_... almost _too_ quiet.. I don't like it.."   
  
Ethan thought about it for a moment and swiped the keycard. If there was a security trip, they wouldn't have much time. It took a second swipe and then the door finally opened and Ethan started to motion her inside.   
  
Marin slipped past him, her hand dropping to her belt for a moment to check her gear. The inner corridor was a bit dim and quiet. As they came around the corner, she lifted her fist, drawing two a stop. Three fingers lifted, and then she pointed out locations. A pause and she pointed up towards the ceiling, indicating cameras. Her shoulders tensed slightly as she began working to loop the feeds. It wasn't easy.   
  
Ethan did a quick swap on the upper part of his carbine and threw a different magazine into the lower part. Once Marin had the feeds looped, he would take the three down with the instant tranq darts he just loaded.   
  
Marin grunted. She didn't want to risk using her comm unit inside the building, but it was necessary. "Not sure how long I can hold the feed. We need to be quick.... maybe we can set off something to draw their attention.."   
  
"Allow me," Ethan whispered to her as he took off his helmet for a second and yelled out. "Hey, who ordered the mynock pot pie?" All three guards were turned down the corner seconds after he yelled out the question. In less time than that, Ethan popped out and dropped all three where they stood to the floor then went back around to where he had been set up. "That work?" He asked as he looked around the corner once more to check his handiwork and gave her the signal for all clear.   
  
She groaned. "I thought this was about subtlety..?" Her words were cut short as the three.... followed shortly by three others began converging on their location. she lifted 3 fingers twice and pointed out vectors as her hand dropped to her blasters, flicking the selector to stun as she drew it.   
  
"Since when," Ethan asked between firing at the guards that were coming up, "have I ever been subtle lately?"   
  
She just laughed. "Point..." Her left foot snapped out, catching one guard under the chin. He dropped like a stone as she picked another off with a stun blast. "Well, at least they'll be focused here..."

* * *

The sound of the comm unit on Maxell's desk stirred him from the report he was reading and it took him a moment to realize that it was from his security units. “Yes?” he asked as he finally picked up.   
_  
“Sir, this is the watch officer,”_ the voice on the other end said from the security station. “ _We've got a disturbance in the armory area. Looks like we may have an intruder, General. We can't get in touch with any of our units around there.”_  
 _  
'What is this?'_ Maxell thought to himself as he wondered what was with the sudden assault to the building.   
_  
“Sir?”_ the officer on the other end asked, awaiting orders.   
  
“Send all patrols that we have on the floors around the armory in. Find out what's going on and take the intruder or intruders down. And make sure they're alive, I want them to talk.”

* * *

"Let's see if there's anything in this armory than can be of some use," he said as he started to look over a manifest sheet. "Just remember, the _Aloraan_ said zero body count."   
  
She grumbled. "I know.... Sides, that _jagyc's_ dead, just got too close for comfort." She reached up to absently rub her neck. "Hmmm. Concussion grenades won't work.... flashbangs... stun grenades... hmm/"   
  
"Grab 'em," Ethan told her as he opened a crate that was marked as stun mines. "Clever...very clever. We can line the corridor with these and set them off in series as they come down the hall. Save us some ammo."   
  
She grinned, even though he couldn't see it. "Hey, at least it will ensure they can't follow us...." She paused. "I think they've got backup coming in, so this could get interesting." Another pause. "Looks like another half dozen or so.."   
  
"ETA?"   
  
She tilted her head to the side and shrugged. "They aren't using heavy encryption oddly, I was able to hack the signal... Ten minutes.."   
  
He nodded and grabbed a loaded sack with the mines he found and started down the corridor. He was shaking his head as he started to place them in a pattern...this would bottleneck them so easily.   
  
_Too easily, maybe..._ "Any other way in or out of here?"   
  
Marin frowned, consulting the map she'd been given. "Two corridors over... looks like a fire escape route.."   
  
Ethan mulled over that for a moment. "Not good to go up for an assault, but useful to use for an escape route once we've tied them up for a period."   
  
"Aye.." she replied softly, checking the charge on her weapon and then the timer on her HUD. "Five minutes...and I still don't like it..."   
  
"What is it?"   
  
She sighed. "It's.. too easy.... as if they completely weren't expecting us..... or they were... and we're being set up.."   
  
"Stretch out...as Karrde told you," Ethan said as he looked around. "Have they got 'help'?"   
  
Marin frowned, and leaned against the wall for a moment, keeping half her focus on their surroundings as she reached out beyond the immediate area, losing herself slightly in the Force. Letting go, Karrde called it. "I'm not sure...,” she finally said. “I don't sense any more backup coming besides the ones on the way. As to other 'help', I don't really sense much... though something could be blocking me.."   
  
Ethan looked at the situation from another point of view and started to go back down the corridor, resetting the sensors on the mines before arming them. "Let them think we're still here," he said as he picked up more of the specialty mines and set them around the doorway and further back. "Make for the fire escape. This will delay them and give us time to get to the secondary objective and maybe warn the General that we may be expected anyway."   
  
She nodded. "Understood. It's just... odd. And you know how I get when stuff is like that.." She turned then and began to make her way to the fire escape. "I don't think I can get out that door without tripping the alarm though."   
  
Ethan turned just as he drew his ripper and fired a short burst into the fire sensors around the room, setting off the alarms. He looked down the corridor and blasted several more sensors that he could see before holstering his weapon and looked back at Marin. "Let them try to figure that out."   
  
She grinned at him. "You're always prepared...." She stowed her own DE-10 and ducked out the door. "One minute..."   
  
He double-checked all his traps while he was giving her that minute.

* * *

“All the fire alarms just went off in that section,” the controller said as the warning lights appeared on his screen.   
  
“How in the hell did they pull _that_ off?” the officer asked as he looked over the sensor board. There had been no explosions, and there wasn't anything there that he remembered that could have been used to start any kind of fire that would have triggered the alarms in that room...much less all the alarms in the area.

* * *

Ryneas was leading the trio down the corridor, using the Force to move cameras away so their movements would not be noticed. Arie was behind him and Callista was watching their backs. Ryneas wasn't completely familiar with the offices, since he had never accompanied his father here. Arie was directing him and they weren't far from their objective. Just a short while and they'll be there. “Wait,” he whispered, holding out his hand to stop them as voices started to catch his attention. Arie and Callista held back while he inched towards the corner.   
  
“I can't believe we let our guards go down up there and let a kid thrash us,” he heard from around the corner. _It sounded familiar..._  
  
“I still don't even remember him jumping us,” another said. “Much less take all of us down.”   
  
“Easy for you to forget,” yet another familiar voice said. “I'm the one that has missing fingers now because of that son of a....”   
  
“The kid was wielding a lightsaber,” one more added. “He doesn't have one of those without knowing how to use it...or so I've always been told. The one's I've seen in action....I tell you, defies all belief what I've seen them do.” _  
  
These are the guys that I had to take down to protect Arie and Myk,_ Ryneas told himself as he inched back over to Arie and Callista. The General had her attention to her headset, which prompted Ryneas to put his back online.   
  
“Echo One,” Arie called over the secure channel, “This is Alpha One, go ahead.”   
_  
“Primary objective completed,”_ Ethan told them on the other side of the conversation. “ _Proceeding to secondary.”  
_  
“Advise when approaching,” Arie told him. “We'll have the welcoming committee taken care of by then. Out.”   
  
She looked to Ryneas then as she cut the channel.   
_  
Same ones from the hotel roof,_ he told her. _They're feeling ready to take anything on. I can take them real quick.  
_  
Arie nodded to him. She had felt the attitude of the men around the corner. _Make it fast, Ryneas.  
_  
“Just wait till I see that kid again,” one said as he rubbed what was left of his hand. “I'll slit him from neck to...”   
  
“Yeah, I was sorry about your hand,” they heard from around the corner. “But when you come up to shoot me in the back...well, things happen.”   
  
All four men turned and saw Ryneas standing there in the middle of the corridor.   
  
“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked them honestly...and wasn't really surprised when all four started to palm their blasters.   
  
Arie and Callista had seen him standing there when he asked them the question. Soon as he asked the question, they started to feel the Force flooding into the area like a tidal wave...all of it flowing through the youth as he moved from the spot so fast, they almost had to blink.

* * *

Maxell heard the sounds of scuffling and blaster fire outside his door suddenly after he ordered the patrols to the armory section. His hand started to reach for the comm panel on his desk when one of the doors to his office slammed opened by the body of one of the men he had posted outside. The body was still sliding down to the floor when a blur flew into the room. On reflex, Maxell started to reach for his blaster in its hideout place. Before his fingers reached the grip, he was thrown back into his chair and flew into the back wall of his office. His eyes were wide when he looked up to his desk and saw Ryneas Karrde knelt on his desk with the tip of his lightsaber inches away from his neck. The only other thing that drew his attention from the lightsaber was the slight glow to the youth's eyes as he stared at him with cold intent.   
  
Arie and Callista walked in a few moments later and both of them looked at Ryneas for a moment as they felt the storm settle and his eyes starting to lose the glow.   
  
“Dad started teaching me what he learned after Rhen Var,” he offered as the reasoning for his sudden release into the Force to move as he had done. “Its really easy once you break the barriers you place on yourself.”   
  
“I got this,” Arie said, motioning to the two to watch the doors while she stood in front of Maxell. “Now, we are going to have a talk.”


	39. Chapter 39

"Let's get ready," Ryneas said as they walked out of the office. He looked around and started to clear desks and chairs out of the way. He had a feeling that they were going to need the room. "I don't know how long we have, but its not going to be long."

Callista sighed, and kept her sabers close at hand as she helped him move the desks. "You know.. when they _do_ come, it's going to get messy really fast." She shook her head again. "Any word from Ethan?"

"I think they're on the way," he told her as he closed his eyes and hesitated for a moment.

She looked at him sharply. "What is it?" She asked while she continued to move furniture to the walls.

"They're coming," he said as he looked at her. "When dad started teaching me that new technique, he told me two things. First, that the senses would stretch pretty far. We're not the only Force users here on Coruscant."

Callista frowned, her fingers closing around her twin sabers as she gazed intently at the door with a look of concentration. "I had a feeling we weren't alone and how our insertion was so.... _simple_. As if someone knew we were coming. What's the second thing?"

"Well...the second thing dad said was that when you release yourself like that, you're pretty much lighting a beacon." He finished tossing desks aside and looked to her again. "They know where we're at...and they're coming.”

Callista swore roughly in _Mando'a_ and then blushed. " _Ni ceta_.." she told him with a grin.

She pulled her sabers free and readied herself. They were indeed close. "Myk taught me that release once. I think we'll both need it." She grinned slightly. "Ready to dance?"

"It'll be enough to make it fun," Ryneas said with a smile as he started to turn around to see down the corridor. There was already one figure walking into the corridor. Several more were right behind as the first stopped and looked around before turning attention to Ryneas and Callista.

"You've improved," came a woman's voice from under the hood. Her choice of cut of the robes was familiar to Ryneas, they were showing a lot of similarity to his own...and it was starting to disturb him. But he tensed slightly as recognition of the voice set in.

"You, is it?” He said more as a statement than a question as he shifted to a relaxed ready stance. “Obviously not who I thought you were back in the Outer Rim.”

"Sorry to disappoint," she said as she nodded to the others, who started to spread out.

Callista swore under her breath and gave Ryneas a look. She'd not recognized the voice and didn't need the thought distracting her. But she saw recognition in Ryneas' face. Slowly, she took a breath, and spread her feet, gazing at the six Sith who stood opposite her and Ryneas. She lifted an eyebrow, even though they couldn't see. "I wasn't expecting a welcoming committee."

"And we weren't expecting visitors to the good General," the speaker said as she motioned to the others there. "Take them."

At that command, the others assumed their combat stances. Ryneas' blade was alive instantly and his eyes already starting to glow as he started to release himself into the Force.

Callista sighed. _Must it always end like this?_ She knew the answer. The Sith would not stop until they'd killed every last Jedi. It reminded her far to much of the mass genocide that had happened during the Clone Wars. She shook herself and set her feet again as she too began the release Steffan had taught her so long ago. The Force rippled around her like water, and she felt a rush of pure energy hit her like a wave, The suddenness of it made her gasp, and the hair on her arms stand on end.

The one closest to Ryneas was the first to move. He went in to lunge and was so obvious about it that Ryneas expected a feint. Certainly, the first changed his direction and went for Callista while the one next to him moved in fast towards Ryneas. He was ready for it and stepped into the swing, grabbing the sword hand with his free hand and turned around, bending to throw the Sith over his shoulder.

Callista swore under her breath, and pivoted on her left foot, barely avoiding the glowing orange blade. She stepped in close and rammed an armored elbow into Orange's face before shoving him away with the Force.

* * *

"Do you hear that?" Ethan asked as he and Marin came up the emergency staircase into the office levels.

Marin frowned and listened. "Sounds like a fight.... with _jetii'kade_..." Her eyes went wide. "There are too many to just be Ryneas and Master Callista... Siit then? But here?"

"No time to ask now," Ethan said as he started to charge up the stairs.

Ryneas parried one blade away then a second. The third gripped his sword hand and tried to reverse the move he had done earlier. Ryneas let go of his lightsaber and caught it in his off hand and swung it into the Sith. When he fell, Ryneas was already ducking another swing.

Orange came charging back in, looking to cleave Callista from shoulder to hip. She breathed in, drawing the Force to her and feeling it thrum along her nerves like electricity. She seized his wrist in a firm grip and kicked him viciously in the chest as she heard bone snap.

Ethan peered around the corner and saw the multiple lights coming from down the corridor. "General's office," he whispered to Marin. "And they're going at it hard and heavy."

" _Kriff_..." she whispered, unclipping the saber from her belt. "I can go help Master Callista and Ryneas... but what about you, Ethan..?"

"When have I ever backed down from a fight?" he said as he fired a snapshot into the fray.

The Sith he aimed at was tangled with Ryneas and turned to suddenly deflect the shot upwards, but it took his attention off of his opponent. Ryneas wasted no time in running his blade through the Sith.

The one who had spoken hadn't taken part in the fight, but turned and launched herself towards the newcomers when the shot had been fired.

"Watch it!" Ryneas shouted.

Ethan dropped back as the woman who turned towards him rushed in. Marin had moved to the side and began to ignite her blade. The woman instantly hit her with a Force hammer and threw her against the wall. Ethan raised his carbine up for another shot, lining up his sights. He pulled the trigger just as her lightsaber cut through the barrel of the blaster. On instinct, knowing his weapon was gone, he reached forward with his offhand and grabbed the hems of her robe and bent his knees to fall back and throw her behind him.

She grabbed him by the wrist just before he dropped and twisted around. Ethan found himself taken off his feet and put up against the wall. Before he could do anything else, he started feeling a searing pain in his shoulder. The shock was setting in as he looked and saw his attacker's blade piercing through his armor.

“Ethan!” Callista yelled as she finished off the Sith that she was facing. Ryneas turned and saw the woman running down the corridor to exit from the killing ground, one of the remaining warriors behind her.

“Stay with him,” he said to her and Marin as he took off after them.

* * *

Slowly, Callista sank to her knees next to Ethan, and pulled her helmet off as she leaned forward to inspect the lightsaber wound. Her face was flushed, but as Marin sat up slowly she noticed something. Master Callista's eyes were glowing... much like Master Karrde's had a few times. Callista swore softly. The injury was clean, and went straight through armor, clothing... and bone. The expression on Ethan's face told her enough.

Sure, he was a warrior, but this was the fire time he'd been on the receiving end of such a wound. His face was ashen, and he was muttering rather vile words under his breath. Callista's mouth quirked slightly, and she leaned forward, carefully undoing Ethan's collarplate and setting it on the floor. He winced, and she sent a wave of soothing energy to him, trying to ease his pain as she began to work.

Marin grumbled, pushing slowly to a sitting position against the wall as she took stock of her own injuries. They weren't as bad as she thought, and the dizziness was beginning to fade as she rolled to a crouch next to Ethan, on hand on his arm, the other on her saber. " _Et'ika_...?" Her voice wavered slightly. She'd not seen him like this... well, ever, and it scared her a little.

Ethan slowly turned his head to look at her, hissing in pain. " _Mar'ika_... listen to me. I know you're angry right now... but you need to stay focused. Go check the halls for any that might have stayed behind. I'll be fine with _Cal'ika_."

Marin traded a look with Callista and then sighed, pushing shakily to her feet.“Right. I’ll be back..” She sighed. No use in distracting Callista while she had work to do. Palming Souvrin’s saber from her belt, she slipped noiselessly into the hall, closing down on her Force presence as she did so.

Ethan’s face was ashen, and Callista could hear him muttering vile words under his breath. She shook her head slightly. Ethan gave her a look.“What? This was why I came along _Cal’ika_... to protect you and _Mar’ika_.” He chuckled a bit then swore. “Wasn’t planning on getting stabbed for it, though..”

She grinned at him for a moment and then sobered. “Alright, I’m going to have to clean out some of the cauterized tissue so I can close up the wound...” Her lips flattened into a thin line as she watched his face. Something flickered across his face and was gone a moment later.

“ _Just do it_...” he grunted through gritted teeth, bracing himself against the wall.

Nodding, Callista withdrew a laser scalpel from one of her pouches, as well as a small shatterproof container. Ethan eyed it for a moment, and Callista smiled slightly.“It’s to collect the tissues. I might be able to use it to synthesize blood or tissues for you later.” Ethan merely grunted and turned to look at the wall across from him. Callista sighed then and laid a hand on his arm. “I’m going to use the scalpel to try and remove some of the cauterized tissues. It will make it easier to close up the wound then. It’ll hurt like _dar’yaim_...” she warned.

Ethan merely shrugged and then cursed when the motion sent pain lancing into his shoulder. “Let’s get it over with, then..” was all he said before he gritted his teeth and went back to staring at the wall.

She sighed a bit but then turned her attention to the task. With his collarplate removed, she carefully pulled the fabric of his flightsuit away from the wound, picking out what fibers she could find in the wound itself. _Manda_ only knew what else was in the wound. More than likely, there were small bits of the _beskar_ from which his armor was fashioned. She grimaced at the thought. Not a good thing.

With the fabric carefully moved aside, she set the small container on the floor and opened it, leaning in close with the laser scalpel. The lighting was horrible, so she had to rely on the Force. A deep breath and she slowly sank into herself, drawing the Force to her and then directing it towards Ethan. In her minds eye, she could see the wound, and the bits of cauterized flesh, bone and muscle. With great care, she let the Force guide her hand, the laser scalpel slowly cutting away the damaged tissue. Then, she used the Force to lift it out of the wound and over to the container.

The effort of it left her sweating, and she spread her knees a bit against the carpet, feeling the sweat trickle down the back of her neck. Healer she might be, but it had been years since she’d done anything this complex. This process continued for several minutes as Callista carefully extracted the small bits of metal, and cauterized tissue and bone from the wound. During the entire procedure, Ethan remained with his back braced against the wall, and his knuckles stood out prominently as he clenched his gloved hands into fists. He hissed a continuous string of curses, and kept his gaze fixed on the far wall.

By now, Marin had returned from her task, and she re-entered the office and leaned heavily on the wall. “No one else in the halls... looks like they all took off.” She winced a bit as the wall pressed against her sore shoulder.“Not sure where Ryneas is exactly, but I can feel him tangling with that _Siit_ lady again.” She sighed. “I wish I could be more help...”

Callista merely nodded, keeping focused on her task as she began to carefully close the wound from the inside out, making sure she’d gotten all debris out before she did so.“We each have trials to face, _Mar’ika_. This... is one of his, and he must face it alone.”

Marin sighed. “I know, it’s just...” She didn’t finish the sentence, but Callista understood, and so did Ethan.

Ethan cursed colorfully, and Callista winced.“ _Ni Ceta_... I did try to warn you..”

He merely grunted. “I know...”

Callista chuckled lightly.“Oh trust me, I know _exactly_ how you feel.” She finished with her task, watching as the skin and flesh began to slowly close and heal from the inside out. He’d still need time to recover, of course. But, she knew he could be stubborn about such things. As she sat back on her heels, she wavered ever so slightly, and Marin moved forward to steady her.

It even caused Ethan to open his eyes. He still sat braced against the wall, his posture tense. Although, some color had finally started to return to his face. She tried to wave them off. “I’ll be fine...” She pinned Ethan with a look. “You need to take a few days and let the shoulder knit, otherwise, you could undo all the work I just did to repair it.”

A quiet nod was his only answer, and she stood carefully, one hand on the wall before giving Marin a look. “Help me get him on his feet. We should check on Arie and Maxell..” Marin nodded, and slipped an arm under his uninjured shoulder, assisting Ethan to his feet. When she was certain he was stable, she stepped away, and made a show of checking her weapons as Ethan did the same.

* * *

"First things first," Ethan said with a grunt from the wound in his shoulder. "Marin, I need you and Calli to go through these people's clothes...see what you can find."

Marin's head came up in surprise, and for a moment she gaped at Ethan. "You... want me to... _what_? What... am I looking for..?"

"We need intel," He told her. "Anything on them that can tell us what the _frell_ their doing here...any kind of objective." He winced at a sharp spike in his shoulder. "I'd have asked Ryneas to, but that boy's gone off chasing that girl."

Callista rolled her eyes slightly at his last comment. " _Kriff_ it, _Et'ika_. Stay still, for _Manda's_ sake!" She pinned him with a look. 

Marin sighed, frowning as she pulled to her feet and moved over to the nearest corpse where she knelt to inspect it. It took her a few moments to search the pockets of the first body. She came up empty. She then stood and moved to the next one. Again, nothing. On the third, she found something. A datacard had been tucked into a small pocket of the inside of his tunic. Marin swallowed, and tried not to think about the fact it was a dead body. "I've got something..." she said as she made her way back to them.

"Calli," he said as he looked over at her. "Get a datapad. See if you can read that. Marin, hand it to her and check the rest."

Marin sighed, and tossed the datacard to Callista, who caught it without looking. She had a compact datapad in her equipment belt which she'd loaded with decryption software.. and she was glad for it now. With a frown, she plugged the card into the 'pad's reader slot. Gibberish scrolled across the screen as the programs analyzed it. "It's coded, but I think I can crack it. "Anything specific I should be looking for..?"

"Look through everything," Ethan told her. "Just a little bit of info could give us a huge idea of what they're here for."

Meanwhile. Marin continued to search the other bodies in the room. Neither yielded much beyond a lightsaber and a few other possessions.

"Anything?" Ethan asked her from where he sat.

Marin shook her head, frowning. " _Nayc_ , besides their personal weapons, the rest are clean."

"Alright, gather the lightsabers up. Callista, any luck?"

Muttering under her breath, Marin did as instructed, though she had to suppress a shudder at the darkness emanating from them. Callista sat against the wall, the datapad propped on her knees. "Sort of... The datapad lists their objective here.. They were to stop us and secure Maxell. Sounds like he was either in league with them and got in over his head, or they were going to try and leverage him somehow.."

"We'll let the General handle that," he said as he started to get back up. "What else?”

"After that, they were to make a report to their commander - there's no name - and to secure the building and lock it down." She frowned. "This is too well organized. They had to have inside help or have some sort of support network on Coruscant. We should look into that.."

At the mention of securing a building, Ethan looked up. "They've got a base of operations here?"

"That's what it sounds like, _elek_... Though the question is where, and how did we miss it..?"

Ethan sighed and closed his eyes for a moment as he thought about it. It took him a few moments, then he looked up at Callista. "You know the planet better than I do...where would the closest warehouse or industrial zone be to here?"

Frowning, Callista thought about that, as she brought up a search algorithm. "To us... the nearest industrial sector that services this district is.... level 1312.. There's a large complex there that services military contracts.."

"Marin," he said with a nod and looked over at the girl. "I don't know if its the right call, but I have no idea when...or if...that boy is going to be back over here. Get to that area...get a feel of the place. Check it out... _ **only**_ if you believe you can without having them come down on you. Quick recon and get your _shebs_ back here."

There was something in Ethan's voice that made Marin stop and look at him. She swallowed and was quiet for a long moment as she studied his face. Finally, she said " _Elek_ ," quietly, and took the offered datacard with the coordinates. "I'll be back as soon as I can.."

"Move out," he told her, some of the pain of the wound in his voice. "Cal...I think I'm gonna need a bit more work on that shoulder."

Nodding, Marin slipped the datacard into the reader slot on her gauntlet, already heading out of the room, as she tried to sort out how to handle the situation.

* * *

Marin's breath sounded rather loud to her ears as she crouched in the shadow of the warehouse. it hadn't been easy to find it, either. Coruscant was... gargantuan as far as she was concerned. But with the _Siit_ at large, they'd begun tracking several oddities. Several supplies shipments from the manufacturing district had come up missing... many of them having been headed for military headquarters. And so, here she was. Several of the missing transports had been traced to this warehouse.

As she half-knelt in the shadows, she watched as yet another transport settled to the loading dock. A crew swarmed the ship, quickly unloading the stolen goods. She watched as the contraband was hauled into the warehouse and stacked off to one side. After a moment's hesitation, she slipped into the building and crouched behind a stack of crates, keeping her presence closed off. It was strange really. She'd not expected to see Sith back at the General's office. But they were there.

She frowned a bit, trying to refocus. The warehouse was dimly lit, but buzzed with activity, even at the late hour. She watched the bustling workers, hoping she could find somewhere to hide. Sure, she could hide in the Force... but if someone actually _saw_ her.. well, all bets were off.

"I don't like this, my lords...not one little bit," a gruff voice said, breaking through the buzz of activity. "After that little sojourn the Jetiise did to us, the fact you are pushing us further into their territory makes me think we're just the bait." Then the man whom the voice belonged to stepped out of concealing shadows, a tall, rather stocky man in bulky armor. The man was followed by three smaller men in elaborate looking clothes, and no special guesses were needed to say who these men were either. _Sith_.

"Calm yourself, Warlord. There are plenty of reasons why the Dark voice wants you here. Bait, is not one of them." spoke one of these Sith. An Oily sounding, if slightly condescending tone of voice. "There is more to breaking a Republic then subverting officials and laying open warfare. What better way of stirring up more chaos then taking over the underground?"

Marin frowned, and narrowed her eyes. _'Siit... more Siit... Why am I not surprised..?'_ She glanced around the large open space of the warehouse, spotting _Kyr'tsad_ colors here and there. She gritted her teeth. _'Not again..'_ A breath helped her calm a bit. She stayed crouched where she was, listening as closely as she could. That did not mean however that she wasn't aware of her surroundings. She'd learned years ago, to not focus on one target at the cost of her surroundings.

The armored one wore armor like she'd seen _Kyr'tsad_ wear, and she could see the sigil on his shoulder. It made her blood turn to ice for a moment. _'With J'oran dead, who was leading them now?_ ' She shook her head at herself and kept listening and committing information to memory.

The _Kyr'tsad_ spat on the ground in disgust and pointed at one of the sith, a while haired but rather young looking man on the far right of the group "If that's so why has Darth Qalqulus here objected to this? I get plenty of Intel too y'know from the kriffing Voice. I'm surprised that he let you bark at him Siit. And if you did, that means we're expendable, right?"

The white-haired man, identified as Darth Qalqulus shrugged and responded in a rather odd sounding voice. It was calm and almost detached."That's _precisely_ why I spoke up, Warlord. To have it known that your band of criminals is more useful to us alive then as expenditures. However, the Voice has his reasons for sending you. Perhaps it's to kill those Mandalorians in Jedi service no doubt...or perhaps not."

Marin froze, her gaze locking onto him for a brief moment as she considered starting to record. While it would be useful. it might also cause her to be detected. And that was something she didn't need. This.. Qalqulus. He didn't sound like the other two _Siit_. Her eyes narrowed to slits and she carefully took a couple still shots with her silent camera. _'If what he said was true, that meant... Her.. Ethan, and anyone else who had been working with the Jetiise... and Xan too... Force rest his soul...'_ she said to herself.

She'd liked Xan. And to hear he'd been lost on a mission to Bastion, it tore her to pieces. She could only imagine how the others felt. Her thoughts turned to Ethan for a moment. She knew he'd been reluctant to let her go alone on this one... especially after Bestine. But Marin knew she had to.

"Ha! We'll kill those traitors on our own time, My lord. For our own reasons, even if they happen to be the voice's or not." the armored one spoke up again. "But, having us move into Coruscant so soon after J'oran's death. If the Reppies get wind of this, they'll know J'oran wasn't Overlord sooner then we want." He shook his head. "So we move into Coruscant to shake down the underground...fine. I don't pretend to understand what you lot think about at times, I just want to know I'm not here so the Empire can use my body and my men's bodies as a stepladder to putting Coruscant up on their trophy wall."

Marin stared. She'd thought - as Ethan had - that J'oran had in fact been the Overlord. That was definitely news that the Masters - and Ethan - needed to hear as soon as possible. She stayed crouched in her hiding place, as her gaze swept the warehouse again. The activity was slowing down. _'If only I could get a name for that cha'kaar..'_ she thought. She already had a holo of his helmet. Most armor was distinctive, but DeathWatch broke that trend. All their members wore various armor styles, but in the same colors.

Qalqulus spoke up at that moment, with surprisingly good timing. "Calm yourself Beviin. Whether the Republic knows soon or not, there is little chance they will have to stop this in time to save the Republic. This is of all of a pattern here, the voice has seen it. Unless you deny him and the Conduit?" he asked, in a carefully guarded yet baiting tone of voice. A faint smirk of amusement playing across the pale man's face. As if it was just a game to him.

Marin frowned and then paled. _'Beviin... Manda help me... my own Alor is in with the Siit...'_ She swore under her breath and shifted very carefully to a kneeling position to take the strain off her calves. _'The Conduit...wasn't that what Master Myk-Ron was called sometimes...?'_ Her mind whirled with so many questions. Xan had told her before that she was to be Alor. 'Could he have been wrong..?'

Qalqulus looked away from Beviin for a moment, turning his pale blue eyes towards the direction of Marin's hiding place, and they narrowed slightly. As if he had wind of something before he shook his head and returned to talking with the others. The other two Sith were going over step by step procedures with Beviin in how they wanted him and his crew to act regarding the underground, Qalqulus' face remained placid but something also was still odd about him. He looked for all the world like he'd rather be ending the lives of the people around him in order to stop this madness rather than revealing in these plans being made.

She'd seen his attention turn her way, and she froze. _'Kriff... kriff...'_ she swore in her head. Had he seen her or sensed her? She didn't know. Marin had enough information now she could leave, but there were too many people around to do it safely. So, for now, she stayed where she was. The more intel she had, the better. A frown crossed her face as she studied the white-haired Siit. He was.. different. He didn't seem as bloodthirsty as the rest. Marin filed that information away and turned her attention to Beviin again as he continued talking.

"So let me get this straight, the Voice wants us to not just upset the underground here but to poison it?" Beviin said, looking shocked for a moment before cackling and holding his plated stomach in an attempt to get over his mirth. "A quarter of a trillion dead...oh yeah...that's one way of getting them in an uproar." Qalqulus made no outward sign of disapproval, but the force hummed for a moment around him. "Fine, you tell me where you want these bombs placed, and give us time to pull out before you set 'em off."

Marin cringed. _'A quarter trillion dead.. They were using the stolen supplies to make bombs.'_ The realization settled like a ball of ice in her stomach, and her hands curled into fists. She glanced around then, seeing that the worker traffic had thinned quite a bit. She might be able to slip out. She chewed her lip for a moment, remembering how she'd been captured.

Qalqulus turned once again in the direction she was hiding in and spoke up. "Perhaps you... _gentlemen_ , would like to have this discussion in more secure lodgings?" he spoke up "Meanwhile, I'll go over what we have gathered thus far to see if it's...adequate."

Marin swore silently, tensing as she readied herself to run. She'd known it wouldn't be simple... But she'd not counted on Siit being in the picture. If it had just been Kyr'tsad, she could have handled it probably. But now... she wasn't so sure. her left hand slid down her thigh where she grasped one of her knives and drew it silently from the sheath.

Qalqulus made sure the others had left the scene before venturing further into the crates of supplies. "I know you are here, Jedi...I could sense your shock as clear as a shout." he whisper-shouted while searching amongst the crates. "You have heard quite a lot here, haven't you?"

Marin swallowed and swore again under her breath. _Oh, she had.. and some of it had shaken her rather badly._ Her fingers closed more tightly around the hilt of her knife as she crouched and took a careful step backward, placing her foot down silently and clamping down on her emotions. She didn't answer him, though not answering could be just as bad as giving someone what they wanted. She knew that more intimately than she cared to admit.

He sat down on one of the crates nearby and held up his hands. "Listen to me, whether you trust me or not right now is irrelevant. But, you've heard enough to inform others about what is going on here. Taking on these people now will not solve anything, only delay this action. But if you leave now, and inform your superiors, you can end this plan here and now and still have your revenge against your enemy at another time."

_That_ got her attention. Her head jerked around at his words, and she stumbled, barely catching herself before she tripped over a crate. She dropped into a crouch behind the nearest stack of crates. "H...how... did you..?"

"I know more then you may think Jedi." he said. "Including how your stumbling will end up getting us _both_ killed if you don't settle down," he added with some heat of annoyance.

Marin's face flamed in embarrassment under her helmet and she sighed and closed her eyes, willing herself to be calm. It... mostly helped. She stayed there kneeling, her knife clutched in her left hand. There was silence between them for a moment as she carefully checked the area around them. "Why would you care anyway...?" Her tone was bitter, yet cautious.

Qalqulus glared at Marin, now spotting her. "I don't think this is the time and place to discuss that. Needless to say, you know what I'm telling you is true. you can't handle this on your own."

She actually flinched, the fingers of her left hand clenching tighter around her knife for a moment. She rocked back onto her heels and nodded as she clamped down on her emotions and presence again. His words threatened to awaken memories she was still coming to grips with, and she clamped down even harder. She said softly, "Very well..." She then checked the area around her and took another careful step away, more cautious this time.


	40. Chapter 40

Ethan was starting to get annoyed as he looked over the building with his macrobinoculars. He was about to lift his comlink when he heard the rustle of movement, followed by Ryneas coming up and crouching down next to them. "What kept you?" he asked with a low growl.

"Couldn't get to her in time," Ryneas told him. "She faced off on a landing pad and took over after her ride knocked me off with a barrage. This our target?"

Marin nodded and looked over to him in the dim light. He seemed tired. "This is the warehouse where all the missing shipments are being sent. Scouted it out earlier. It's crawling with _Kyr'tsad_ , and a few _Sittse_ , but it seems to have quieted down a bit..." She traded a glance with Ethan, her voice low. "The Beviin Alor is in there." She knew Ethan would understand if Ryneas didn't.

Ethan turned his head to her quickly. "Are you certain of this?"

There were a few seconds of silence between them. "Aye..." she said quietly. I say the Beviin sigil on his _beskar'gam_ , along with the _Kyr'tsad_ symbol..."

"Well, that blows the lid," Ethan grumbled as he went back to looking over the area. Ryneas looked semi-confused and looked to Marin.

Just then a door of the warehouse opened, and a few armored men began escorting out a rather unmarked hovertruck with a tarpaulin covering the bed of it. "Move it....these need to be in place by 0550." Voices began grunting in response in various languages, but more then a few were responses in _Mando'a_. One of the armored men stopped and looked at a holochrono and then yelled inside "Beviin! We're still short a couple of trucks."

Swearing softly, she shrugged an apology to Ethan, not really caring if he gave her chores later. "The man that I saw in that warehouse was wearing armor very similar in style to that which we found on Galan after.." She stopped and sighed before she continued. "Anyways, his armor bears the mark of both the Death Watch.... and of my clan... Beviin..." She trailed off in surprise as she heard the commotion at the warehouse.

"And speak of the devil," Ethan said as he zoomed in. "30 meters from the east edge of the building, Marin."

Her head snapped around then, and she rolled to a crouch, training her own macros in that direction. " _Kriffing hut'uun._.." she growled, her left hand flexing in memory. It had been J'oran who had done it.... but she wouldn't be surprised if Beviin had ordered it himself. Biting her lip, she watched for a moment. "They're moving the bombs... and early.."

Just then a man in distinctive Death Watch armor walked into view and without a word, then motioned at someone inside the building before walking over. "You need to pay attention to scouting parties mir'sheb." and then decked the man that called him out, dropping him to the ground. "Next time it's your head. Now then, get the crews to scout the perimeter as I ordered you two hours ago."

"They've got that tarped pretty good," Ethan said as he looked over the transport. "And no way to get close to place a tracer on it."

Biting her lip, Marin looked over at Ethan. "I'll do it...." she said softly as she rose to a crouch. "If we don't we can't track it.."

"Better let me," Ryneas said as he looked over the area. "You two might want to find a way to move in closer."

Sighing, Marin shrugged and looked to Ethan before she began to scan the area again. She was keeping her presence as closed off as she could. Her macros went back to the one who'd gotten yelled at for not checking the area.

Ryneas looked to see the direction the truck was starting to move in before he rose up and took off along the rooftop. Ethan kept looking over the scene a few more times. "How'd you get in earlier?"

A small crew of men began filing out of the warehouse, as the Death Watchers hauled the fallen man to his feet, and then once back to his feet. kicking him in the back to get him moving to scout before walking back into the warehouse and having the cargo door closed.

Talking softly, Marin pointed out the way she'd gotten in before. "It's crawling with guards now.... we'll have to find another way in.." She stayed low and began moving towards the warehouse, but not directly, using barely a thread of Force to scan for anyone nearby.

Ethan followed along behind her, keeping an eye out. Elsewhere, Ryneas crouched low on one of the rooftops. The presence of the scouts didn't escape his notice either and he kept clear of them. In a few minutes, he had the truck sighted and tagged.

"Ethan," he whispered into his headset. "Tracker is in place."

"Alright, we're on the north side of the warehouse," Ethan answered back. "They're stepping up patrols, so be careful getting back."

Marin frowned slightly, only half-listening to the comm chatter as she continued to move slowly towards the warehouse. After perhaps another five minutes, she'd located a secondary entrance. As closed down as she was, she had no real way to tell if they were walking into an ambush or not.

Ryneas looked over the building from the south end. There was a vent shaft that was out of the patrol's line of sight. He kept his presence down, knowing that there were Sith here as well. After the run that he had earlier and the encounter on the landing pad, something felt....different about the ones here.

Ethan looked around to check to see if there were any cams around. "Anything you feel on the other side?" He asked Marin as he checked his carbine and prepped for entry.

She shrugged. "Nothing that I can sense... It looks clear. Something odd about the _siitse_ with these _Kyr'tsad_ though... Some feel as I would expect. But one does not.." She shrugged it off and moved _towards_ the entrance she'd chosen, keeping in a low crouch to minimize her silhouette.

Ryneas reached the vent on the rooftop and looked to make sure he wasn't spotted before he pried the vent opened and looked down the shaft. "Ethan, ready for entry."

"Standby," Ethan whispered as he looked over to Marin and nodded. "Now."

Carefully, Marin reached out with a thread of Force and worked the lock. She would have used hand tools, but they would have made too much noise. A few seconds passed, and the door swung open just enough for Marin to slip in first.

Ryneas looked to see a support frame that looked like it could support him. Pulling out a length of cable, he secured it to the framework and started to lower himself down the air shaft slowly. It took a few minutes because he wanted to stay quiet, but he finally came to an inside vent that offered him a few of the interior of the main area.

What Ryneas didn't know was rather early into his descent down the vent shaft, he had triggered the first stage of micro security circuits laced into the shaft, as he continued to descend more and more circuits were tripped silently before he made it to his rest point, tripping the final circuit. Generating a breech klaxon. Then the warehouse positively boiled into activity and shouts were barely heard above the din in _Mando'a_ and Basic. "Secure that vent! Move your _shebs_!" and then, "Get the _Siitse_!"

The screeching klaxon spurred Marin into action and she turned back towards the way she'd come, almost running face-first into Ethan as she drew her DE-10 and crouched on reflex. " _Kriff_... Ethan...?"

“ _Spast_!" Ryneas said as he realized he was in trouble and would be the immediate target. _'Well,'_ he thought, _'this'll be a great diversion for the others.'_ He immediately immersed himself into the Force as he did earlier and blasted the vent cover off and sent it flying several yards.

"Go!" Ethan said to her as he took the safety off of his carbine.

" _Kriff_ it all..." she swore softly and rolled to a crouch behind a stack of crates as she drew a bead on the nearest _Kyr'tsad_. Letting out a breath, she pulled the trigger. He dropped like a stone... but by her doing so, she was pretty sure they knew someone else was here too.

Ryneas hit the ground and had his lightsaber in hand as the first round of blaster fire started to come his way. He started blocking shots, but didn't know what direction he needed to go now. It was pretty much a free-for-all now.

As Ryneas turned, he ran into a Large Mando, with a sonic blaster aimed at him " _Ke'mot Jetii!_ " the figure grunted. "Close down the saber and drop it, then kick it over to me." Shots were still ringing out elsewhere in the warehouse, but it seemed that right now, this one couldn't care less. "Someone turn that damn klaxon off. Last thing we need is CSF getting wind of this....and it seems we got some ripe juicy bait to deal with our other guests." As Ryneas was slow to respond the figure grunted. "I guess you haven't heard about sonic blasters....quite "illegal" but that cause your damn _jetii'kade_ are useless against it." he then laughed coldly as the klaxon was finally shut off "And these make quite the pretty mess." then he took off the safety. "Now....do as I say."

Ryneas didn't take his eyes off of him, breathing slowly as he started to let himself go further, feeling the charge in the air that his father described when he started to follow along with the technique that Steffan and Myk started to teach him. "Can't hit what you can't see," he said softly as he suddenly lept faster than he thought the Mando could track, pulling all of his ability to try to use the concealment techniques he had been taught. _It was going to be close..._ Even as the young man moved, the _Kyr'tsad_ tracked him and pulled a ripper, nailing Ryneas in the thigh. The young man dropped and rolled along the floor.

Marin was still taking potshots at the _kyr'tsad_ as they came near. A small pile of bodies had started to accumulate near her hiding place as she kept up a steady stream of blaster bolts, hoping to keep others away.

Ethan stayed in place for a moment, dropping several that came around the corner before he started to move up between the crates, checking in all directions as he moved. This was getting hairy really fast.

The Mando growled as suddenly, his bait lept away and vanished. "GRAH! Get that piece of _osik_...or find me his allies!" he barked before ducking and rolling behind a loaded carrier that had yet to be deployed. More and more bodies piled into the main cargo area as shots still panged off of everything "Keep that fire away from the carriers!" one shouted

Marin continued to spray fire at anything that came near her as she cautiously expanded her senses, hoping to detect anyone that was trying to come up behind her. But, it was chaotic, and with a wall to her left, it still left her open to attack from behind.

Ethan heard it before he turned to see it, one had gotten the drop on him. He was fixing to duck when a kick came out of nowhere and he saw Ryneas grab the man and sent a punch into a weak spot in the armor then another that knocked him out.

"No lightsaber?" Ethan asked with a chuckle as he shot another coming around.

"It's getting too much attention at the moment," Ryneas said as he took a few moments to knock out another. "But may have to pull it out again in a moment."

Where Marin and Ethan were pinned down, the exposed rear that Ethan and Marin had was rather well placed, as no one could get to it without walking through their line of fire. But one of the _Kyr'tsad_ thought of a better idea. Getting away from the group he was with, he moved behind a discarded piece or armorplast and pulled off a flash grenade from his belt. He tripped the fuse and waited till it had only a fraction of time left before exploding and then tossed it over the armorplast towards the Mando pair.

Marin heard the _plink_ of the pin being pulled, and she turned, leading with her blasters. But it was already too late. The flash grade exploded, and Marin dropped, covering her head for a moment. Her helmet had dampened the effects of the grenade slightly, but she still found it difficult to hear or see anything right away.

Ethan heard the blast but had his head turned away from where it happened. He had put enough distance from Marin that it wouldn't have hit both of them but knew Marin would have been affected by it.

* * *

Marin crouched behind the stack of crates where she'd taken cover, her arms over her head for a few moments in pure reflex as the flashbang went off. She'd heard the scuffle behind her, and had heard someone's weapon clatter to the floor. Shaking her head slightly, she tried to roll back to a crouch. She was slightly disoriented, and she wobbled a bit from the dizziness. She knew Ethan and Ryneas were behind her and to her right by a few meters, but they weren't moving. She was about to ask why over the comm when she felt the emitter of a blaster jammed into the back of her neck. She froze slightly, her hand dropping to her saber in pure reflex.

" _Narir va_..." a voice growled harshly in _Mando'a_ before she felt her wrist seized painfully. Her vision was beginning to clear, and she blinked a few times, glimpsing Beviin perhaps ten meters away. She felt a harsh jerk on her arm before she felt binders click into place as she was hauled to her feet. "Move.." the voice near her ear barked, shoving her forward.

Beviin shook his head slightly as she was forced over to him, making slight 'tsk' sounds. He didn't have the faintest idea who she was, nor did he particularly care to...she was merely an insignificant annoyance that was causing trouble at the time. And so, he waved her 'escort' away to rejoin the fight as she neared...and drew the blade from his belt. The escort tossed him her saber as he turned to depart, which he caught handily and clipped onto his belt. His voice was cold and unrelenting as he spoke, and he exploded into motion as he did so, driving the weapon towards a gap in her armor on the lower torso. "You really should not have come here, little one..."

Marin stumbled slightly as her escort released her rather roughly. She caught her balance and was just beginning to work on the binders when he spoke. His words sent ice through her veins, and she froze, trying to use the moment's hesitation to open the binders. Her chin came up, and she tried to keep her voice level as she breathed slowly, even though her pulse pounded in her ears. "Did you honestly think you could pull off something like this without getting noticed? Sloppy of you.."

He seemed to take offense to that and stopped dead in his blade-led rush. He opted instead to stalk forward and launched his left fist towards the side of her head with a great deal of force behind it. If she ended up turned off to the side, either from the hit or her evading...he would find a gap in the side of her armor and attempt a stab there. He knew she was a Force user from the presence of a saber, so he wasn't about to go easy...young or not.

The faint click of the binders told Marin they'd released... and none too soon. Her eyes widened a bit as she saw Beviin coming towards her in a rush. Marin swallowed, tossing the binders away with one hand as she slipped to the side, barely avoiding his thrust before she snapped her left leg out, trying to catch him in the elbow of his knife hand.

Growling a bit, he stepped in towards her slightly. Her leg connected with his elbow all right, except for one small detail...the shin hit instead of her foot as intended. His free hand shifted down rapidly to slide a ripper from its holster, and he snap-fired this at her chest as he brought it up to a proper angle.

Marin's senses flared, and she dropped, reaching out in the Force to try and deflect the slugs. It didn't work quite as she had intended... as her last experience at deflection had been with stun darts. Ripper slugs weren't quite the same, and she miscalculated. The result was the slug hitting her right forearm and burning through the combat suit, leaving a long bleeding gash along the inside of her right arm. She hissed a curse in _Mando'a_ and had to bite down on the pain that threatened to blind her for a moment. Even so, she paused for half a second, dropping to a knee, and folding forward over the injured limb. She used this time to draw a knife from a sheath hidden in her belt.

Beviin shook his head slightly and brought his booted right foot up before he sent it slamming back down towards her head. At the same time, he shifted his aim down and fired a pair of rounds at her back and left knee, respectively.

On instinct, Marin dropped, rolling sideways as she held her right arm to her chest. She lifted her left arm, driving her blade into his calf before she rolled away and came to her feet. Just as quickly, a second blade was in her hand before she flicked her wrist, the force of the throw driving this one towards the slight gap at the bottom of his backplate.

Letting out a deafening roar at her continued, what he deemed to be, annoyances...he turned about to face her. His own blade came across and deflected her throw before he barreled in once again. He fired off another round at her chest as he closed, and launched a kick at her head as he came within good distance for a solid hit. If he was fazed by the injury she'd caused, he didn't show it...nor did he slow.

Again Marin's senses flared, and she rolled away from him, reflexively reaching into the force to deflect the slug. It smacked into the wall not too far from her shoulder and she swallowed, lifting her hands to block his kick before she grasped his ankle and turned abruptly, dropping to a knee as she pulled hard, driving yet another knife into the side of his thigh.

Grunting slightly, Beviin went with her pull...falling rather awkwardly but bringing his other leg around in a kick across the front of her face as he did so. He would rip his leg free of her grip and roll away as soon as he hit the ground.

Marin's helmet took the brunt of the hit, and she heard the faceplate crack slightly under the force of it as she turned her face away. Even so, she saw stars for a moment. Pressing her hands against the floor to get to her feet, her questing hand happened upon one of her discarded DE-10s. Lifting it carefully in a one-handed grip, she breathed out, trying to squeeze off a shot to his shoulder.

Beviin winced slightly as the bolt connected when he came out of the roll, but his ' _gam_ took most of the hit...so he wasn't overly concerned. Turning back in a crouch, he fired off another pair of shots at her chest. He used this to force her to dodge as he sheathed his blade and slid a grenade from his belt, priming it and waiting carefully for the right moment.

Gritting her teeth, Marin brought her hand up trying to deflect. But she was getting a bit tired. One deflected. The other clipped her right shoulder, leaving a small spray of blood on the wall behind her before she pushed to her feet, drawing another knife with her right hand as she clutched the DE-10 in her left.

Grinning fiercely under his _buy'ce_ , he carefully counted off until there were only two seconds left on the grenade...and tossed it towards the irritating young girl. He rolled back as well, just in case she decided to be a pain in the _shebs_ and push it back.

Marin's danger sense screamed and she dove for cover, flicking her right hand slightly as she tried to direct the grenade towards a relatively unoccupied section of the warehouse. Not an easy thing, mind you, given how the _Kyr'tsad_ were swarming. But, the press of bodies was thinning a bit. Marin ducked, covering her head as the grenade went off. This time, her visor polarized, saving her from going blind from the flash. Once it was past, Marin pushed to her feet, turning quickly in a crouch as she loosed two shots in Beviin's direction, followed by a thrown knife as she moved again.

Beviin let the systems in his _buy'ce_ compensate for the flash and sound from the grenade, and ended his roll once again in a crouch. During the roll, he'd slid his second ripper from its holster, and he now drew a bead on her with both of them. As he let loose, however, he found his aim knocked off a bit as her attacks reached him. The first bolt missed completely, but the second smacked dead into his left upper arm and knocked it back even though the plating absorbed most of the damage. The knife, however, found a gap in the plates over his stomach and bit into his flesh painfully. He had managed to get a trio of accurate shots off, however, two to the torso and a third towards the right portion of her head. His fourth and fifth shots, however...had gone off into nowhere.

Marin was beginning to panic slightly, and she lifted her left hand again, trying to deflect the shots. What happened next surprised her so much she stumbled slightly. From her outstretched hand, a shimmering force barrier had formed in front of her. The slugs hit it full force before falling to the permacrete floor. Swallowing in surprise, Marin took advantage of the brief lull to pump several shots in Beviin's direction after rolling into cover.

Swearing quite loudly, he holstered his first Ripper and barreled forward as she took cover. He slid another grenade from his belt and fired off a stream of shots to keep her pinned down as he primed the grenade and closed in. He was fairly furious now and ignored as her bolts glanced off his _beskar'gam_. One, however, hit his right shoulder in the gap between plates...and he felt the arm starting to go slightly limp. Ergo, his shots as he neared became a bit less accurate...not that he was going for accuracy.

Marin hissed a curse, ducking back behind cover before loosing a stream of bolts in his direction. She could feel the adrenaline pumping in her veins, and she could see him coming at her as if in slow motion. Ethan would call it Battle Mind. Marin rose to a crouch, her eyes narrowing as she continued to pour blaster bolts in his direction .

Growling loudly as he neared, and ignoring the bolts as best he could, though a few hit quite solidly, he continued until he was within a few feet. He then hurled the grenade, with maybe a second left, directly towards her, trusting in his _beskar'gam_ to at least survive the blast. He spat out viciously as he did so "Die, already, you _kriffing chakaar!_ "

Marin's blood turned to ice as she saw the grenade arcing towards her. _'Duck!'_ she sent to Ryneas, hoping Ethan would get the hint as well. She dropped to the floor, her DE-10 clutched in her left hand as she mentally tried to deflect the grenade away. She was only partially successfully, and she felt the shockwave and heat pummel her left side from only a few meters away. Even so, she hissed as a piece of shrapnel embedded itself in her side.

Beviin took almost the full force of the impact, both shockwave, and explosion...and was flung back the way he came. His _beskar'gam_ was scorched quite badly, but...he was alive and still moving. Unknown to him, however, her saber had fallen from his belt in the explosion...and lay on the floor a few mere feet from it's owner. Standing slowly from where he'd landed, he limped his way over behind a group of containers...planting himself out of line of sight before she was back up again. He took this time to reload his rippers and check over his injuries.

Slowly, Marin rolled to a sitting position as she checked herself over. Shrapnel wound to the left side, right arm and shoulder pretty banged up and almost useless, and her helmet was busted on the side, cracks spiderwebbed across the dark visor. She flexed the fingers of her right hand experimentally, hissing in pain before she rose to a crouch. Her DE-10 had perhaps half a charge left, and she was out of knives except for one. Frowning, she expanded her senses, searching the area. Ethan and Dilan were nearby. They'd downed their guards, but the remaining _Kyr'tsad_ were keeping them quite busy. With a muttered swear, Marin brought her ripper around and pumped a few shots into the stack of crates she sensed him behind. After doing so, she rolled sideways to different cover.

Carefully, Beviin slid the knives she'd managed to embed into him back out...and simply dropped them where he stood. His left leg was basically useless from the two stabbing injuries and the explosion, his right arm was completely numb...and his entire body in general hurt like _haraan_. He swore quite loudly once again as her shots pounded into his cover, and he decided on an entirely different tactic. He was clearly at a disadvantage now, and he wasn't about to risk being captured or killed. He shifted his ripper to his left hand and nodded to himself. Sliding another grenade from his belt, he primed it and lobbed it into the space between them. It would go off a second later, emitting a cloud of smoke...and he would attempt a run towards an exit through this cover.

Marin swore as the grenade bounced across the floor, smoke trailing from it and obscuring her vision. She rose to a crouch, trying her best to track him in the Force, letting it guide her hand as she pumped several more shots in his direction before ducking behind cover again.

He growled slightly as one of her shots met his left shoulder solidly, causing him to turn unexpectedly and slam into another group of crates. This made plenty of noise, and he was now down to simply limping towards the desired exit...the impact had messed with his leg even more. He blindly aimed back behind him and snap-fired a few rounds, just in case...but he knew he wasn't likely to even come close to hitting.

Gritting her teeth, Marin fired a few more shots towards the direction of the falling crates before she had to duck behind cover. She only hoped that whatever happened, he wouldn't come after her at a later time. But, the chances of that were unlikely. Hell, she'd just be happy to get out of here mostly in one piece.

Beviin limped slowly out of the building, carefully making sure there was no one else outside before he headed off on his own to fall back. His own survival took priority, as far as he was concerned...the others and the Siit could deal with that lot for all he cared. One thing he knew for sure, however. If they failed to do so, he was going to personally kill that _shabla_ girl...slowly.

Muttering a swear, Marin pushed to her feet with a bit of difficulty as she had to support her weight on her one good arm. She crouched to retrieve her saber, clipping it back to her belt before she slid down the wall to the floor.

* * *

"How many more of these guys are there?" Ethan asked as he took cover behind a crate and did a quick switch of power cells to his carbine and checked to see how many he had left. There was enough, as long as the stream of _Kyr'tsad_ ebbed at some point in time. "Everything I take one down, it seems like there's a few more coming in behind him.

"Its a good question," Ryneas said as he placed a few shots downrange with the blaster pistol that Myk told him to carry along on the mission. "You hear any more noises from Marin's direction?"

"Nothing since that smoke grenade," Ethan responded as he dropped another one. "Start inching back that way, Ryneas. We need to find her."

In the meantime, Marin lay propped against the wall, fumbling slightly as she tried to bandage her left side with one hand. Her right shoulder burned, and the piece of shrapnel shifted. making her gasp in pain. She knew better than to remove it but _kriff_ it hurt. She at least had Souvrin's saber, and her DE-10s, but her knives were scattered across the floor.

Ryneas slowly tracked along where he had last seen sight of her. There were some of her knives on the floor in different places, blood dripping off the edges. He also spotted her other DE-10. He took a moment and collected them, knowing they were important to her gear just as his was to him.

"Marin," he called out in a hushed voice. "Marin....where are you at?”

Squeezing her eyes shut for a moment, Marin lifted her head as she heard Ryneas calling for her. She sighed and gently reached out to touch him in the Force. _'Here, Ryneas...'_

He came around the corner and saw the havoc that was the remains of the area they had fought in and caught sight of where Marin was resting at.

"Ethan, I got her...and she's hurt," he said into his headset and then went over to her evaluating her injuries. It took a moment and he started to rip the sleeve of his jumpsuit and took one of her knives to cut strips out of it. One or two of them he used to bandage up her wounds. When he saw the condition of her arm, he started to tie another into a loop so she could use it for a sling.

Ethan was right behind him, taking another snapshot to drop one before he turned for a moment to look the scene over. "If you're this bad," he asked as he started scanning for more targets, "how bad is the other guy?"

Marin gritted her teeth as Ryneas gently moved her right arm. She hissed softly. "Several stab wounds, among other injuries that I can't really remember right now.” She rested her head against the wall and tried to breathe.

"We need to get her out of here," Ryneas said as he gave her another look. "Ethan, where is your entry point?"

"A few meters back to the left, then all the way to the wall," he answered as he kept looking around. "I know there's more here. Why aren't they coming?" Ethan turned back to look towards the other and saw Ryneas looking blankly towards the opposite wall. "Ryneas?"

Marin frowned slightly then, and reached out as well, trying to sense what Ryneas had felt. After a moment, she tried to push to her feet, using her left hand to steady herself, but she just slid back to the floor with a curse. " _Mebana_..? What's going on...?" she asked softly.

“They're backing off," Ryneas said quietly, then started to look around towards the catwalks. "Because their _allies_ are coming in..." He took a few moments to look around some more. "Ethan, get her out of here."

"Wait a minute, just what the...."

"Do it," the youth said again as he carefully leaned Marin back against the crate. "You can't take these guys. Marin, where is your lightsaber?"

"It's... wait a minute..." She looked at him sharply. "I found it on the floor over there..." She pointed and then dropped her left hand to her belt, passing it to him.

"I'll make sure you get it back," he said as Ethan went over to help her back up and start towards the corridor. He made sure to take it slow, seeing how bad she was injured.

Marin bit her lip as Ethan helped her to her feet. She knew she was hurt pretty bad, but she hated the thought of leaving Ryneas here to face them alone. After a moment, she nodded to Ethan, setting her jaw against the pain in her left side.

"Come on," he said as he supported her on the left side. The carbine was moved around to his back and he drew his sidearm and kept an eye out on things. "Where'd he go?"

" _Kriff_ if I know..." she muttered. "I tried to track him after he threw that smoke grenade, but I lost him. I do know he was alone... and he was bleeding rather heavily.."

"May have sent his boys a signal to back out," Ethan commented as he kept looking around. There was a sudden sound of lightsabers clashing behind them as they got to the door. Ethan leaned Marin against a crate and he slowly looked over the outside walls to make sure there wasn't anyone laying in ambush.

"Coast looks clear," he said as he went back to Marin, still hearing the fight going on further inside. "Come on."

Marin tensed. "We can't just _leave_ him.... " she protested, albeit a bit weakly as she leaned on him, mindful of her left side. "He got away... I should have tried harder.."

"I know you," Ethan told her. "You fought with all your heart, can't do better than that. Next time will be different. And as far as Ryneas goes, he should be alright. Heard about the kid through Calli and Xan, he's his father's son...so you know how good that is."

She nodded, only slightly mollified. "Aye, I know. As for Beviin, I get the feeling if he sees me again it won't end well...." She hissed a curse and kept her left hand to her side, trying to provide at least a little buffer.

Ethan got her outside and some distance out from the warehouse. He was surprised that the local authorities weren't converging on the scene from the sounds of all the shots and explosions. Marin was in bad shape, from what he could tell, and probably wouldn't do her any good to get back to the safe house. He'd probably need to call the General, Myk or one of the others and arrange a pickup. He looked over some of the wounds and started to pull a small medkit out of his trouser side pocket and went to work.

Marin leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. "That shrapnel from my left side... was Ryneas able to remove it..?" her voice was a bit strained as she was using every ounce of strength that she had to not slide to the ground again and to keep conscious.

"I think he was more worried about your bleeding," Ethan said as he looked over the spot. "Hang on." He pulled a small instrument and held it over the spot and started to pull the bits of shrapnel out. Thankfully, they weren't in deep and he was able to get them out quickly.

“Ah... _kriff_...." she swore, sagging slightly at the spike of pain. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes as she tried to breath through it. "Give me a good strong drink, and let me drop into a healing trance... I'll be good as new.." she tried to joke.

"Sounds like you've rubbed off on her," Ryneas said as he rejoined them, both his and her sabers clipped to his belt. There were a few more tears and cuts in his jumpsuit now too. Ethan looked over him for a moment.

"You need this kit too?" he asked.

"I'm good," Ryneas said as he looked over at Marin. "How're you holding up?"

She groaned in response. "I'll live... Thought I had him.." She swore softly, and lifted her left hand, fumbling with the seal on her helmet, the dark faceplate of which was spiderwebbed with cracks. The HUD no longer worked.

Ryneas helped her with the helmet and looked it over. "Looks like he sure threw a good punch."

"Now ain't the time to be discussing his fist," Ethan said as he looked around. "What happened back there?"

She swore softly. "More like a couple of good kicks to the head..."

"Three of them," the younger man told them. "Got one, the second wanted to close in...but the third pulled him off and they left. I don't know why."

Marin swallowed, wondering how she would tell Ethan that they'd gotten the drop on her. That was a conversation she dreaded.

"Can you carry her?" Ethan asked him as he looked around. "Because we don't need to be hanging around here much longer."

"I believe I can?" Ryneas said, turning so he could get Marin to climb on his back to carry her. "Up you go."

"I'll be..." she started to protest... and then just sighed. She knew there was no point in arguing right now. But, she knew eventually Ethan would want to know what had happened. With a groan, she carefully wrapped her arms around his neck, wincing when the motion sent pain stabbing into her shoulder.

Ryneas stood up slowly, careful to not aggravate her wounds more. "Alright, lead off."


	41. Chapter 41

**Coruscant – Republic Military HQ**

“Arie?” Maxell’s voice quavered. “H-how? Oh, thank the stars you’re okay! I had no idea, I swear! They said they were just going to detain you. They-“

“Stow it,” Arie cut him off, her voice tinged with ice. “You’re going to tell me what you’ve been up to, who you’re working with, and everything and anything else I can think of. And, you’re done wearing those.” She nodded, and the general’s lapels ripped from his uniform and flew into her outstretched hand.

“Yes, of course,” Maxell was as pale as a ghost. He started to come around from behind the desk, and Arie didn’t like the way he was looking at her. “I’m just so glad-“

With a look, she pinned him against the wall with the Force. “Touch me, and lose more than your rank bars. You’re done. Finished. And, after we’ve wrung everything useful we can get out of you, you’re gone.” She moved to the communications array on what used to be her desk. Quickly, she called up a secure channel, keyed in an encryption command, and waited for the line to establish.

“Arie,” Maxell struggled against the wall. “You have to believe me. I would never hurt you. I lo-“

She’d started to turn when he said her name. Her right hook dislocated his jaw and sent him sprawling into a potted plant in the corner of the office, out cold. “It’s _General_ , scumbag.”

She rubbed her knuckles and turned back to the desk, the indicator light on the comm system turned green; link established. “Phoenix One to Control,” She said. “The nest is secured. We’re ready when you are.”

“ _And, ahead of schedule,”_ Steffan’s voice was distorted over the Hypercom. _“It’s time to pull back the shroud Phoenix One. Let them know you’re there, and take your command back.”_

“The President?” Arie asked.

“ _Already taken care of,”_ Steffan replied. _“He’ll be issuing a statement in the Senate at the morning meeting. This was a sanctioned action, rooting out hostile forces within the military. You’ve been deep cover for the past few years.”_

“How in seven hells did you pull _that_ off?”

“ _Later,”_ Steffan said. _“I promise.”_  
  
Just then, Arie sensed it. Ryneas and the others engaged with… _Sith. Here on Coruscant_. “Kriff it all!” She spat. “There are Sith here.”

“ _What?!”_

“It’ll be fine,” Arie said, checking her blaster. “We’ll handle it.” And, she cut off the connection.

The others seemed to be handling things well, so far. She could sense confusion, and the fight moving further away from Headquarters. _Sith, here?_ But, the questions would have to wait. She quickly keyed in another set of codes into the comm system. Soon she was broadcasting throughout the entire NR Military.

“This is General Arie Luxkert-Thrawn Dinn,” She said, summoning up every ounce of authority she could muster. “I’ve resumed command of the joint New Republic Forces. There’s been a mole in our midst, and he’s been rooted out. Cleanup is underway as we speak. To those loyal soldiers stationed in Coruscant HQ, you are ordered to stand down and return to your posts. To those who’ve infiltrated these hallowed halls…” She paused, they’d never go for it, but she had to put the option out there. “If you cease all hostility immediately, and lay down your arms, you will be treated with courtesy and given a fair trial. You have my word. If, instead, you continue to attack my people, know that we will give you no quarter.”

She ended the transmission and switched over to the comm in the security foyer. “General Dinn to Security,” She said. “Who’s on station?”

“ _It’s Wilson, ma’am,”_ A gruff voice said. _“And, it’s a dream to hear you in charge again. If I had to listen to that lily-“  
_  
Arie laughed, picturing the aging chief of security in her mind. “Wilson!” She cut him off. “What the hell is the chief of security doing pulling the night shift?!”

“ _General Maxell demoted me Ma’am,”_ The old man said, matter-of-fact.

Arie glared daggers at the unconscious Maxell. “We’ll fix that soon, soldier,” She said. “For now, get a squad to my office, and bring the stun cuffs.”  
  
 _“Roger that, Ma’am,”_ Wilson’s smile could be heard in his voice. _“Be there in five.”_ And, he was off the line.

Finally, Arie pressed a hand to her ear, switching her headset to a direct link with the _Firebird_.

“We’re mostly done up here, Rogue,” Arie said. “But, there’s a bit of a snag-“

“ _On it, beautiful!”_ The Rogue was breathing heavy, and Arie could hear the sounds of lightsabers and blaster fire in the background.

“Myk!” Arie’s thoughts turned immediately to Evelina.

“ _Safe,”_ He said, between blaster whines. _“Auto-routed to General’s hangar. Go, Princess!”_

“Love you,” Arie said, crossing to the door, lightsaber in hand.

Just then, the door slid open, and Grant Wilson walked in with five MPs. His silver hair cropped short, deep lines in his aged face, he still kept himself in fighting trim, and his lips were turned up in a feral grin at the sight of Maxell crumpled on the floor. “Reporting, General,” He saluted. The five soldiers with him snapped to attention, and saluted as well.  
  
Arie hastily returned the salute. “Glad you’re here,” She said. “Still some clean up out there, and I’m needed. Secure him, and get him in solitary immediately. Nobody speaks to him or sees him until I give the order. Understood?”

“Yes, Ma’am!” Wilson said, motioning for his men to collect the downed Maxell. “Need any help?”

Arie was already mostly out the door. “I’ve got it, Chief,” She threw the old soldier a wink, and dashed down the hall, heading to the General’s private hangar. Callista quickly joined her.

“What happened out here?” Arie asked as they continued dashing down the hall to the turbolift that would take them to the General’s private hanger.

“Sith,” Callista said. “Ethan got a bit of a scrape, but he’s all patched up. He, Marin, and Ryneas went chasing off after them. There’s a lot more going on here than we imagined, I think.”

They reached the turbolift then. Arie and Callista quickly entered, Arie keying the secure codes needed to override the lift controls. In moments, they were on their way. “I’m getting that,” Arie said. “Right now, you and I are going to make sure Evelina’s safe.”

Callista’s eyes grew wide. “What happened to Dad?”

“Nothing yet,” Arie sighed. “But, there was an ambush. He sent the _Firebird_ to my old hangar on auto-pilot.” The lift doors opened, revealing a good-sized hangar, currently empty save a few loading droids and equipment. Arie and Callista strode toward the center. The Phoenix closed her eyes, and stretched her senses. She could feel Evelina’s signature in the force, a bright star amid the chaos, growing closer. Soon, she could hear the familiar whine of the _Firebird_ ’s engines outside the magcon field. Relief flooded over her as she watched the old freighter slowly float into the hangar, and settle down on its landing struts.

The boarding ramp started to lower, and Arie was up it almost before it fully extended. Evelina rounded a corner coming out of the cockpit, her stuffed taun-taun clutched to her chest.

“Mommy!” She beamed and ran toward Arie.  
  
Arie scooped her up in her arms, and held her close. “I’m here, Evelina,” She said. “Everything’s going to be okay.” She looked at Calli as the young woman came into the corridor with them. “Everything’s going to be okay.”

* * *

**Coruscant Depths**

_Things never go smoothly. Why can’t things ever go smooth?_

Myk’s hands flew over the comm station aboard the _Firebird. Sith on Coruscant, in collusion with…someone. Empire, Mando, Maxell_ ; there were so many questions, and none of it was making any sense. But, none of that mattered at the moment. On the feed, he saw the Karrde boy take off after one of the Sith. Ethan was down, but had Callista and Marin with him. Arie was in her old office, but there was more. He could feel them two stories up, and they were closing.

“ _Phantom, Dragon_ ,” Myk called. “Status?”

“ _Free and clear, Rogue.”_ That was Nik’s voice. _“What’s up?”_

“Company,” Myk-Ron looked at Evelina. She sat in the copilot’s chair, eyes wide, staring up in the direction where Myk had sensed the oncoming trouble. “How quick can you get back to HQ?”

“ _Two minutes,”_ Vince replied.

“I need an escort,” Myk said, pulling up the nav map, and setting a route for the General’s private hangar at HQ. “The _Bird’s_ going to fly herself to these coordinates carrying _very_ precious cargo.” He transmitted the data in a tight, encrypted burst to both ships.

“ _Got it,”_ Nik said. _“We’ll be on her closer than mynochs on a power coupling.”_

“ _You?”_ Vincent asked as Myk stood from his chair, checking his blaster and lightsaber.

He smiled at his daughter. “Gonna play host to the party heading my way. Out.”

He knelt next to Evelina, and took her hand in his. “Sweetheart,” He said. “I need you to be brave for a bit. You’ve gotta take care of the _Firebird_ , and you’ve gotta make sure Mommy’s okay. Can you do that for me, little princess?”

“Daddy,” Evelina’s icy blue eyes shone with the beginnings of tears. “They want to hurt you. They want to hurt a lot of people.”  
  
“I know, darling,” Myk put a hand on her cheek. “I’m not going to let them. I promise. I’ll see you and Mommy soon. You keep Geoffrey safe, okay? He looks like he’s scared. Be brave for him, okay? I love you.” He hugged her to him.

“I love you, Daddy.”

Myk brushed a tear from her cheek, releasing from the hug, and standing. “Nik and Vince are going to meet you and Mommy. Don’t open the door for anyone except them, okay?”

“Okay.”

Myk hit the timer on the auto-pilot, kissed Evelina on the cheek, and took off at a jog for the boarding ramp. He was down and trotting across the duracrete they’d been sitting on when ramp raised, the engines kicked in, and the _Firebird_ lifted off on its preprogrammed flight up to safety. He watched as the old girl slid out into open air, and rose. _Be safe, little princess_.

* * *

It was dark this deep. The first floors of HQ were still five stories above him. They’d been parked in an ancient landing dock on what used to be the top of an even older building. Massive columns spread out in all directions, supporting the building above. The bottom of the HQ building was thirty meters up. The duracrete upon which Myk-Ron stood was caked in dust and cracked here and there. No lights shone in the cavernous parking structure. The whole of the place was cast in shadows, light streaming in weakly from all four open sides.

Myk-Ron rolled his shoulders, eyes focused on a set of stairs coming down on the north side of the building. He walked in their direction, lightsaber unlit but in his hand.

The sound of armored feet clanking down ancient durasteel steps reached him first. Then he saw them; fifteen armor-clad Mandos rushed down the last flight of steps and began sweeping into the large open structure, weapons at the ready. With them were two Sith, both wearing armor of a similar fashion. They fanned out, taking positions behind columns and forming a rough half-circle in front of the Rogue with the Sith front and center.

Myk paused, and took a breath, drawing on the wellspring of the Force. It practically sang here on the city-world. So much life packed in so tightly; it was like stepping into the deep end of an ocean. He could feel the Sith and the Mandos arrayed in front of him, feel their anger, fear, determination, and will. Farther out, he could feel his daughter, like a shooting star, sailing away from danger.

He smiled then, he’d fought Mandalorians before, ages ago. Their slug-throwers, rippers they called them, could be an issue. Unless he wanted to be sprayed with molten lead, blocking their shots with his lightsaber was out of the question. His best bet was to get in close with the two Sith at the center of their formation. The way they were arrayed, it would be much harder to get a clean shot at the Rogue without risking hitting one of their own.

Myk let down the dam, and the Force rushed in on him at once. He was getting more and more used to it now, and the lightning danced in his eyes in an instant. In another, he charged, crossing the distance between himself and his ambushers in the blink of an eye. The Sith were just quick enough to get their blades up, one green and one blue, and jump back a meter each as Myk effectively _appeared_ between them.

Blue was the first to regain his composure, taking a swing at the Rogue’s midsection. Myk ignited his silver blade, hilt in his left hand, and swatted Blue’s attack low and outside while simultaneously loosing a snap-kick with his right foot into Green’s chest. Green stumbled back a few more paces and allowed Myk-Ron the space to focus on Blue…for the most part.

All of this happening within the space between heartbeats, Myk-Ron was impressed with the Mandalorians’ reaction time. He could feel the half of them at his back sighting in on him with their rippers as he unleashed a salvo of blows on Blue. It wouldn’t be but another second at the most until he had dozens of rounds pouring into his back. His mind’s eye on the Mandos, Myk blocked a crushing blow from Blue close to the hilt of his blade. In one deft motion, Myk-Ron parried Blue’s saber out wide, grabbing the Sith by his shoulder and spinning around to his other side as the slugs fired from the Mandalorian rippers slammed into Blue.

Myk pushed Blue’s body forward with the Force, sending it careening toward Green who dove out of the way, and into the line of Mandos just beyond him. In the next instant, the Rogue turned and charged the lead edge of the leftmost line of Mandos. Faster than the eye could track, Myk-Ron wove his way through his assailants, a silver-white trail of light marking his path of destruction. With a sound like a lightning crack, Myk was back where he started, armored warriors falling to the ground all around him.

The remaining Sith with the green lightsaber hesitated. Hate burned in his eyes as he stared down the Rogue. Myk relaxed into an easy form three guard, and waited. But, Green shut down his blade, turned, and ran off into the darkness. Still deep in the flow of the Force, Myk could sense the trouble in the warehouse a few blocks away. He shut down his blade and took off at a Force-enhanced run.

* * *

**Coruscant Warehouse District**

On they ran, Ryneas with Marin on his back, Ethan favoring his shoulder and breathing heavily. They were outmatched for the moment, and needed to get back to HQ; regroup, figure out what the hell was going on. Sith and Mandalorians on Coruscant; there were too many questions. _How’d they get here, when did they start working together, what were their plans?_

_“Going somewhere?”_

Ryneas and Ethan skidded to a halt in a small courtyard just a few blocks down and west of HQ, high enough they could see the sky above them, low enough as to be deserted this early in the morning. It was a simple square courtyard, ringed by lower building walls. At the opposite end of the courtyard, directly in front of a set of stairs leading up and out, there stood a Sith with an orange blade and two Mandos with guns drawn.

Ethan trained his carbine on the trio, visibly heaving with exertion, but refusing to give up.

Ryneas sighed, he could sense Marin slipping in and out of consciousness. They really didn’t have time for this. _We need a way out, now_.

As if in answer to his silent assertion, there was a sound like wind rushing by and Myk-Ron Dinn suddenly stood before them. The Rogue wasted no words and charged the trio blocking the stairs. Ethan took advantage of the enemies’ momentary disarray and fired on them as he ran out to flank them.

Ryneas watched as Master Dinn fought the orange-bladed Sith. The Rogue blocked and struck with such precision, moving the Sith to position him always between Myk and the Mandos, preventing them from getting a clean shot on the Rogue.

The right-most Mandalorian fell to a near-perfect headshot from Ethan’s carbine. Helmet smoking, he crumpled on the steps.

Myk ducked a strike from Orange, the Sith’s lightsaber sailing harmlessly over his head. He slipped behind the Sith, lashing out at the remaining Mando and taking the soldier’s head clean off before reversing his grip and stabbing behind him to skewer Orange as he turned. The bodies fell like so many bricks.

“Wish I had some gloves,” Master Dinn said, shutting down his lightsaber, and turning to Ryneas and Ethan. “You three look a bit rough. Did I miss the party?”

Ethan chuckled as he and Ryneas joined the Rogue, and started up the stairs. “You could say that, Sir,” He nodded his helmeted head. Upon closer inspection, Ryneas could see score marks all over his armor. “I thought you weren’t going to be on ground duty for this op.”

“My hand was forced,” Myk-Ron shrugged. “By some Sith and some Mandalorians. Not really sure what’s going on here.”

“We’re not either,” Ryneas spoke up. As they climbed, each level became more populated. The citizens of Coruscant were waking up, and starting to head to work. The sun was just beginning to rise. For the most part, Myk, Ethan, and Ryneas were ignored as they worked their way toward HQ. “But, we’d better save discussions for when we get back. I assume we’re all heading to HQ?”

“Yeah,” Myk said. “Which reminds me.” He grabbed the comm off his belt. “Rogue to Phoenix One, do you copy?”

 _“Affirmative,”_ Master Arie’s voice was slightly distorted over the comm. _“We read you. Our mission is accomplished, and we’re all accounted for. What’s your status?”_

Myk-Ron looked back at Ethan, Ryneas, and Marin. “Alive and accounted for,” He motioned for the group to follow him. “We could use a pickup, though.”

 _“Roger that, Rogue,”_ Arie replied. _“We’ve got you on scanners. Head to the taxi pad just one block north of your position. We’re sending a very fast shuttle.”_

“Thanks, Phoenix One,” Myk chuckled. “See you soon.”

“Come on guys,” He said, turning the corner and heading up another flight of stairs. The crowds were getting bigger now, and the light from the sun bathed everything in a golden glow.

Ryneas followed with Ethan bringing up the rear. Quite a sight they made as they came out at the top of the stairs, and stepped onto one of the main thoroughfares running between Imperial Palace and the Military HQ. They crossed through a sea of denizens, getting odd looks, but being mostly ignored. The bustling beings of Coruscant all had places to be, after all.

They reached the taxi pad Arie had mentioned just as a heavily modified Lambda-class shuttle touched down, light as a feather. “Ah, perfect,” Myk beamed. “Ride’s already here.”

* * *

**Coruscant – Republic Military HQ**

The “Coruscant Coup” team all sat around a large conference table just on the other side of the hall from Arie’s office, with the exception of Marin (currently in a bacta tank) and Ethan (currently sitting next to said bacta tank). Steffan was present via holo, his figure projected into an empty chair. Arie paced at the head of the table, Myk, to her right, leaned back with his feet propped on the table. That is, they were until Arie shot him a look, and he dropped them, throwing his wife a wink. Nik-Yar Randar and Vincint Rane took chairs next to Myk. Ryneas Karrde sat next to the projected image of his father.

Evelina sat at a low table along the west wall of the conference room with Callista; Evelina hugging her toy taun-taun as Callista idly stroked her little sister’s hair.

“As though this wasn’t complicated enough,” Arie said, finally. “Now you’re telling me there are cells of Death Watch on Coruscant, and being aided by the Sith?”

“It certainly looks that way, darlin’,” Myk-Ron said. “And, they’ve got really good intel coming in from somewhere. Fifteen Death Watch soldiers and two Sith ambushed me at what we thought was a secure parking structure a couple of hundred stories down.”

“They’re also working on some plan involving a large number of explosives,” Ryneas added. “I thought it was crazy that Sith just happened to show up in Headquarters, so I followed them once we’d secured your office. We found them, and dozens of Death Watch in an old warehouse not too far from here. It seems they were just finishing loading up a bunch of explosives, and shipping them off who knows where?”

“And, you didn’t stay to find out?” Nik asked, eyebrows raised.

“Things got hot,” Ryneas shrugged. “And, we had injured. We were outgunned and outnumbered. I didn’t see any other choice.”

“ _You did well, son,”_ Steffan interjected. _“But, it does throw a bit of a wrench into things. Arie, what’s the situation with your assuming command?”_

“Done, and done,” the General replied, a sly smirk on her face. “Had the president’s seal on the orders almost before the ink was dry. I don’t know what you did or how you did it, Steffan, and at this point, I’m not sure I want to.”

“ _Completely legitimate, General,”_ Steffan said. _“I can explain in detail, I assure you. But, now we must focus on this new information. How well do you trust NR Intelligence to investigate this?”_

“Honestly,” Arie sighed. “I feel like we’ve won big here today, but there’s no ruling out the possibility that there are moles still to be rooted out. The big one, we’ve got. But, who knows if there are others or where they might be hiding?”

“Time to interrogate your former protégé, I should think,” Vincint spoke up. “If we’re to get the fleet moving to rendezvous with the Cataani navy in time, we need our answers quickly.”

“I could go a few rounds,” Myk cast Arie a sideways grin.

She just rolled her eyes.

“ _Speed is of the essence,”_ Steffan voiced. _“But, we also can’t afford to rush things, and risk missing something or walking into a trap. We need to make certain that any information we gather is completely solid. We’ve been two steps behind our enemies for far too long.”_

“Agreed,” Vincint said. “Which is why I’d like to interrogate Maxell.”

Nik arched an eyebrow at the mercenary. “Where are you going with this, pal?”

“I believe the General and the Rogue are too close to the situation to get anything useful out of Maxell,” He explained. “I’m an unknown quantity. I believe I can expedite things in our favor, and determine whether or not there are more traitors within the ranks.”

Arie leaned on the table, and studied Vincint’s face for a moment. “I’m hiring you and Nik as consultants, Vince,” She said. “If I let you do this, it needs to be done by the book. I can’t have you flaying a prisoner in New Republic custody.”

“I assure you, General,” the mercenary smiled, a chilling expression from him. “No _physical_ harm will come to him.”

“Why’d you emphasize ‘physical’?” Myk asked, before immediately adding, “Ya know what? Nevermind. I don’t want to know.”

“No permanent damage of any kind,” Arie said, sternly.

“You have my word,” Vincint nodded.

“Fine,” Arie turned to look at everyone. “Any objections?”

There were none.

“Okay,” She said, all business. “Assignments. Nik and Vince, check-in with Wilson. I’ve reinstated him as head of Security. He’ll get you your clearance. Calli, check-in with Ethan and Marin, see if there’s anything you can do to get the girl back on her feet quicker and get that Mando patched up as well. Ryneas, you and my husband are going to get in the field and try to find where Death Watch was shipping those explosives. You’re the brains, he’s the brawn.”

Myk-Ron cast his wife a look of mock pain, but she plunged on.  
  
“I need you two on the ground, and pursuing this,” She continued. “If we get any kind of lead out of Maxell, we want people in a position to pounce on it. In the meantime, I’ll be preparing the fleets to mobilize. Steffan, is there anything else you can think of?”

“ _I believe you’ve got everything covered,”_ The Jedi Grand Master nodded. _“We’ll be continuing our preparations on Cataan. Ryneas, be careful, son.”_

The Karrde boy nodded. “I will, father.”

“What about me, Mommy?” Evelina asked, a look of grim determination on the 4-year-old’s face.

“You get to help me, dearheart,” Arie smiled, and Evelina bounced in her seat, beaming.

“Then that’s that,” Arie looked back to those arrayed around the table, a fire behind her eyes. “Let’s get to work!”


	42. Chapter 42

**Coruscant Depths**

Their progress away from the warehouse was slower than both Ryneas and Ethan would have liked. And it left them exposed. Ethan's lips thinned into a line behind his helmet visor. They didn't have much choice. Marin's injuries were such that they couldn't risk moving much faster. And if Ryneas had, he might have left Ethan behind. That wasn't something either man was wanting to happen, given Marin's condition.

It was as they entered a courtyard several levels down from HQ that their progress was abruptly halted. Ethan's eyes narrowed behind his visor as he took stock of the trio blocking their path. Two _Kyr'tsad_ , and one _Siit_. He shook his head and spat a curse in _Mando'a_ barely loud enough for Ryneas to hear him. He saw the corner of the young man's mouth lift for a mere instant, though he could see that his expression was tight with worry. They weren't in any shape to fight off that many. Especially with Ryneas carrying Marin.

Ryneas took a deep breath and traded a look with Ethan. Just as he was about to speak, they both could feel a breeze kick up – as if a ship was landing – or someone had passed them on a speeder. In the next instant, Ethan's eyes widened. Myk-ron Dinn now stood in the empty space between them and the trio blocking their path. He didn't say a word but merely waded into the fight. Taking his cue from Myk, Ethan hefted his carbine and waved Ryneas back as he sighted along the barrel. The Rogue was moving almost too fast for Ethan to track – but he did see how their rescuer positioned the Sith he was fighting always between himself and the Death Watch. It prevented the Death Watch from getting a clear shot at him.... or the others.

A slow grin spread across Ethan's face, and while some part of his mind observed the Rogue with admiration, he wasn't about to waste the opportunity, either. For a moment or two, he squinted through the carbine's laser sight, drawing a bead on the right-most Kyr'tsad. In an instant, he breathed out, and loosed a bolt in the man's direction. His target fell mere seconds before Myk's.

* * *

Their trek to the higher levels was slowed a bit, but it didn't seem to phase Ryneas any. Ethan didn't hear a single complaint from the young man as he continued to carry Marin. Ethan brought up the rear, keeping his carbine at the ready. After the events at the warehouse and Marin's current condition, he wasn't taking any chances. He wasn't about to admit it to Myk, but he knew the Jedi could probably sense his concern. And what he'd told Marin multiple times still held true. Especially now. None of them had known what would happen in that warehouse.

Ethan only shouldered his carbine once they'd reached the more populated levels. But, that didn't mean he wasn't alert for danger. And he'd put bets on the fact that Myk and Ryneas were too. He kept checking on Marin as best he could from his position at the rear of the group. As near as his sensors were able to tell him, her lifesigns were weak. His forehead creased in a frown, and he closed the gap between himself and Ryneas slightly as he shook his head. She certainly had a knack for finding trouble. Or maybe it was that it found _her_. He wasn't really sure sometimes.

He continued to follow Myk and Ryneas as they came up yet another stairwell. He was very thankful that Myk had been able to reach Arie. He'd never personally met the woman except briefly at the Karrdes, but she had quite a reputation. And for once, he was glad of it. She was able to route a shuttle to a taxi pad close to their destination. And it wasn't just _any_ shuttle. This one looked to be a military variant. Heavily armed and armored.

Ethan nodded approvingly, and helped Ryneas load Marin onto the shuttle, carefully laying her slender form across a row of seats. He then claimed the seat closest to her. He wasn't about to let her out of his sight. Not after everything she'd been through. Especially after the promise he'd made to Jarius all those years ago.

* * *

**Coruscant – Republic Military HQ**

Callista was only half paying attention to the meeting itself. And, she supposed she should be. But, she had other concerns at the moment. Namely, the welfare of Marin Durza, and the fact that she was trying to keep Evelina calm. A slight smile touched her lips, even given the gravity of the situation. There were times when she still found herself baffled by the complexity of her family dynamic.

Myk and Arie might be her parents on paper as far as the Republic was concerned, which made Evelina her little sister. She smiled again and continued to stroke Evelina's hair. The girl positively blazed in the Force. It still surprised Callista how strong the girl was. Though she supposed she shouldn't be so shocked, given who the girl's parents were.

And then there were Steffan and Jade Karrde. Their adoption might not have had any official paperwork behind it, but it still meant just as much to Callista as her relationship with Myk and Arie. The Cataani family had taken her in and trained her in the finer arts of swordsmanship and etiquette following her time as Master Arie's Padawan. And while what she had learned at the praxeum was very different from what she had learned under Arie's tutelage, it made the knowledge no less valuable.

She continued to stroke Evelina's hair, even as she leaned down to whisper in her sister's ear. “Dad tells me you were very brave today...”

Evelina looked up at her and smiled. “Daddy asked me to. Too many bad people wanted to hurt all of you....” Tears began to well up in her bright blue eyes and Callista stroked her hair again as she hugged her firmly.

“It's ok, we all got back safely, thanks to Mom and Dad.” she said firmly. Evelina nodded and hugged her stuffed tauntaun tightly for a moment.

* * *

The meeting ran long, and more than once, Ethan found himself checking the chrono on his HUD as he sat next to the bacta tank that Marin was currently floating in. He'd parked himself there and not moved since before the others had left for their meeting. In the back of his mind, he slowly turned over the events of the last few hours. By all accounts, Marin was lucky to be alive. _Nayc_... he shook his head. _Not luck._ He knew that it was her skill with the Force, and her honed instincts from her years of Mandalorian training as well.

 _But even so...._ he sighed softly and turned his _buy'ce_ over in his hands to stare at the blank visor after taking it off. Things had never been simple where Marin was concerned. He'd known that from the first day he'd met her. A soft beeping from the console on the front of the bacta tank drew Ethan from his musings. Within a few seconds, Callista appeared silently at his elbow and studied the small monitor for a moment.

He gave her a quiet nod. “How is she?” He knew some of her injuries had been pretty severe. Her right arm was almost useless by the end of the encounter at the warehouse. Callista studied the monitor for a moment longer before closing her eyes. When she spoke again, her voice was hushed. “I... won't ask what happened back at that warehouse. But, I'm glad you got her here when you did.” She poked at a few controls and watched as the fluid began to drain from the bacta tank to be strained for reuse.

Marin was clothed in a lose-fitting smock and shorts for modesty, and as the bacta drained from the tank to be filtered and reused, Marin's form lowered slowly by way of the anti-grav unit at her waist. Ethan reached out and lifted Marin's small form with little visible effort. He then carried her to one of the beds that Callista indicated. It was in a small private room. His face was etched with concern as he set Marin down gently, absently smoothing hair from her face.

There was silence between them for several moments until Callista finally spoke. “It will take some time for her to heal properly. Her right shoulder and arm were pretty torn up when you got her in here. Looked like some wounds from ripper slugs.” She sighed, knowing that must have hurt. It was a mercy that Marin had been unconscious when they'd brought her in. Callista had extended that with a healing trance of her own to help Marin's body rest and repair.

Her blue eyes fell back to Marin where she lay on the bed. “I'm also glad you were able to remove most of the shrapnel from her side wound. I only had to do some minor cleanup.” She nodded approvingly then and offered him a faint smile. “She's always been a fighter, Ethan...” she continued softly, even though Marin wouldn't hear any of it. “She fought bravely, even given the situation she found herself in.”

Ethan grunted. “I thought so too...” His voice was uncharacteristically gruff. If Callista didn't know better, she thought he might have been holding back tears. She chose not to push the matter. Instead, she pulled a low stool over towards the bed and settled herself onto it as she began to relax into the Force. She glanced up at him, trying to send him a wave of calm as she closed her eyes and held her hands just above Marin's injured arm.

He fell silent then and found a place to lean against the wall and watch while trying to keep out of her way. From being around Marin, he knew that most complex Force techniques took a great deal of concentration and he didn't want to impede her work, especially not now. For now, he pulled one of Marin's knives from his belt and set about cleaning it.

For her part, Callista turned her attention back to her task. And it was a daunting one. The stint in the bacta tank had done wonders to begin repairing damaged tissues. Now, she was going to speed it along a bit more. Before she'd place Marin in the tank, she'd removed what remained of the shrapnel in her left side, as well as bits of charred cloth from the slug wounds on Marin's right forearm and shoulder. The lacerations across Marin's cheeks and nose had responded well to the bacta treatment. Now all that remained was to close off the slug wounds and the shrapnel wound on her left side.

The first area she turned her attention to was Marin's right shoulder. The muscles there had been somewhat shredded by the impact of the ripper slug. As she looked at the area in the Force, she could see the damaged muscle fibers clearly. One by one, she began to stimulate them to grow new tissue and then to attach them back to the musculature of Marin's shoulder. It was not unlike weaving broken threads back into a tapestry.

He had no idea how long that task took, but Ethan could see the sun dipping lower on the horizon through the transparisteel windows across the hall from Marin's room. He frowned and returned the knife he'd finished cleaning to its proper place on Marin's weapons belt which lay on a chair near the end of the bed. And then he picked up another and began carefully cleaning it of any blood that remained along the blade. He found the actions calming.

Callista continued the slow process of reattaching the muscle fibers along Marin's shoulder. It took her a good two to three hours before she was satisfied with it. Then, she moved on to the muscles in Marin's right forearm. They were much in the same condition, which is what made it almost impossible for the girl to hold a weapon when combined with the injuries to her shoulder. Frowning in concentration, she began to repeat much the same process as she had used before. A faint sheen of sweat began to gather on Callista's forehead as she continued to work, though she hardly noticed.

Ethan frowned slightly when he noticed it and slipped the knife he'd been cleaning into his belt before he ducked out of the room and down the hall. He'd noticed a small kitchen area down a short side hallway when they'd entered the medical ward several hours before. His observation paid off. In the kitchen area, he found a chiller with several bottles of water, which he grabbed two of, as well as a towel he found in a nearby drawer. It wasn't perfect, but he knew Callista would need water when she was done. The other he was planning to save for when Marin finally woke.

He made quick progress back to the room in which Marin lay, silently setting one of the bottles near to Callista's elbow before resuming his position along the wall. She was still at it, even after several hours. He shook his head and chuckled softly to himself as he leaned back against the wall and resumed cleaning the second of Marin's knives which had been recovered from the warehouse.

Finally, after a solid four hours, Callista was able to weave the muscle fibers back together in both Marin's shoulder and forearm. Sweat stood out her forehead and traced down the side of her face for a moment before she swiped at it absently with the hem of her tunic sleeve. She sat back for a moment and blinked sweat from her eyes as Ethan handed her the water bottle. “I didn't want to disturb you...” he said softly, his gaze lingering on Marin's still form as he leaned over to pass her the bottle. Their fingers brushed for an instant or two.

That brief contact jolted Callista slightly as she looked up at him. He hid it well, but she could plainly feel his worry regarding Marin through that brief touch. She swallowed against a sudden lump that had risen in her throat. The surprise caused her to fumble slightly as she unscrewed the cap to the bottle and drank deeply. Ethan frowned when he saw that. “Callista... you're exhausted...” he nodded towards her shaking hand. She shook her head at him. “I'll be fine,” she mumbled, but after a moment of trying to still her hands from shaking, she sighed. “You're right. I'll go rest. If you need anything.. wake me. I'll be in the room two doors down.” Having said that, she rose a bit unsteadily and made her way towards the room she'd mentioned. Once inside, she sank heavily onto the bed and sighed. She was asleep within moments.

Shaking his head, Ethan stopped to check on Marin for a moment. He knew Callista had done her best, but he hated seeing her so exhausted. Marin's vitals were stable according to the readout next to her bed. He nodded in satisfaction. She would keep for now. _Manda_ knew she needed the rest, anyways. With a soft sigh, Ethan then turned and made his way down the hall to the room Callista had mentioned. He peeked in and shook his head. She was sprawled across the bed, not even under the blankets. And her boots were still on.

He chuckled softly to himself. After a moment's thought, he moved into the room quietly and crouched near the end of the bed to begin removing her boots. He had a feeling she wouldn't wake up, even with him doing so. Once he had her boots off, he set them near the end of the bed. Then, he covered her with one of the blankets and quietly left the room.


End file.
